Different
by dabih
Summary: HOGWARTS AU! Kai Prince and Cinder Linh are so different according to the restricting social boundaries set in the magical world. One Gryffindor, one Slytherin, one pure blooded, one Muggle-born, and it doesn't end there. Will they be able to overcome these things while war brews in their world?
1. Of Tutors and Headlines

**AN: This is a Lunar Chronicles Harry Potter AU, I hope you like it. I'm a bit rusty with the fanfiction business.**

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Chapter 1

 _Of Tutors and Headlines_

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Cinder fiddled nervously with her silver and green tie as she waited at the table in the library for her next student. Tutoring was a necessary extra credit she was doing for Transfiguration class to make sure she didn't fail. Failing meant her stepmother would kill her – or at least take her out of Hogwarts. Hogwarts was her gateway to a life outside of the Muggle world and she couldn't afford to be taken out.

While waiting for the kid to show up, she flipped through her messy notes, wondering whom the student would be. The only thing her professor had told her was that he would be a year above her. She was lucky she had an extensive knowledge of Transfiguration – it was her best subject after all. Cinder was at the top in her year, another reason why she couldn't afford to fail. All her status among her peers would be lost, and it had already been hard earned.

It was one thing for her to be Muggle-born and in Slytherin house, but it was a complete other thing to be one of the only disabled students at the school. With a perpetual limp in her left leg, she walked with a cane and was slower than most of her other students. Her left wrist was also a bit messed up and sometimes it bothered her to the point of needing painkillers. Aside from being Muggle-born, she was also dirt poor and her adoptive family was only barely able to afford tuition. Luckily, her stepmother despised her enough to want her out the house.

Brushing dark hair out her face, Cinder mentally prepared herself to get out of her seat. Her tutee was obviously not going to show and she would have to begin her trek back to the Slytherin Common Room now if she wanted to make it before dinner. Grabbing her cane, Cinder, slow as possible, rose out of her seat. She had barely made one step when a person ran up to her.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" said the person – a boy – apologetically, gently helping her sit back down. He flashed her a smile and Cinder took a second to recover before she actually took a look at his features. Though his face was contorted with apology, Cinder recognized him – she would recognize him anywhere, if she were being honest.

It was the handsome Kai Prince, son of the Minister of Magic. She'd spent a lot of time looking at his perfectly sculpted face in the past, staring across the Great Hall at him laughing at the Gryffindor house table. With a face burning red, she managed, "It's, um, alright."

Kai took a seat across from her, loosening his tie a bit. "Really?" He grinned, copper colored eyes lighting up with humor. "You looked about ready to leave when I arrived." This only served to make Cinder's blush deepen, but she didn't really understand why.

"Well, I was," she said, avoiding his eyes. "But it's alright." Kai's smile seemed to become even more pleased. "So, uh, what do you need help with, Prince?" said Cinder, his last name falling awkwardly from her lips.

"Oh, I just need help with this spell. I can't seem to get it, no matter how much Professor tries to teach it to me," he said, frustration edging his tone just a bit. "Transfiguration is my worst subject."

Though Cinder doubted the validity of this statement (Kai was virtually good at everything), she asked, "Which spell?"

Pushing his book towards her, he pointed out the spell he was struggling with. It was NEWT level, but Cinder had long since mastered it. The spell was supposed to, if done correctly, turn the object you directed it to into another object of your choice. It took a great deal of focus, though, and she suspected that was why Kai was having the trouble he was having. Making sure he at least knew the incantation, they began practicing on paper clips and pencils Cinder already had.

After about 30 minutes of practice, Kai could turn a paper clip into a needle, but couldn't do anything larger than that. Still, it was progress.

"Wow, Linh. How do you know so much about Transfiguration?" he asked of her, after repeatedly switching his paper clip to a needle with awe. Each time he gained speed.

"I don't know, I just do. It comes naturally to me, I guess." She smiled, glad for the compliment. He beamed back at her, continuing to quickly transfigure the paper clip. "If you keep practicing like that, I'm sure you'll be able to do bigger objects."

"Like what, pencils?" he joked, laughing. He stopped his transfiguring and looked up at her, eyes locking onto each other. "Thanks so much, Linh. What do you say we meet back up again tomorrow? I really wanna get better at this," he said, and she admired the eagerness in this tone. His eyes never left hers and her breath caught.

Mistaking her pause for caution, Kai added, "I promise I won't be late next time."

Remembering how to breathe, Cinder smiled at him. "Yeah, sure, I'd be happy to help." With a hesitation and a bite of her lip, she said as an afterthought, "And you can call me Cinder."

Though he looked a bit surprised, Kai was overall pleased at this. "Well, you can call me Kai, Cinder."

They spent a little time packing up, before Kai had gathered all of his books and stood. She remained seated, thinking of her leg and once again preparing herself to rise. She wouldn't have any time to put her books down in the Common Room, but she had expected it. He smiled at her, a bit confused. Cinder wondered if he was putting together that she was the disabled cane girl as he stared at her. To make it a bit easier for him, she grabbed her cane and used it to support her on her way up.

"Do you need help?" he asked cautiously. "I can hold your books."

Pride almost convinced her to say no, but eventually she decided that he was being sweet rather than condescending. She nodded shyly, a warm blush travelling up her face. "If you don't mind…" Kai grabbed her books and Cinder smiled at him. She made a vain attempt to stand straight, but eventually it was too much weight on her leg.

In silence, they walked towards the Dining Hall. Cinder wondered if people were staring at them – Head Boy Kai Prince and son of the minister walking with disabled girl. It must have looked like such a charity case. On top of that, she was also a Slytherin and Kai was a Gryffindor. They were really so different. And he was from one of the wealthiest pureblood families, with a long history of being in Gryffindor and she was a measly Muggle-born, poor and didn't know a thing about her real heritage, being adopted.

As her thoughts continued to stray, she decided she needed to do something to save face for Kai. It must have been embarrassing being seen with her. Luckily, she didn't have to do it harshly, because a distraction in the form of her Ravenclaw friend Iko caught up with them.

Iko excitedly ran up to Cinder, squealing something about some gossip that happened in the Ravenclaw Common Room. Cinder and Kai stopped in their tracks and paused their pleasant conversation about the standings of the house cup. With a noisy clearance of her throat, Cinder indicated Kai's presence to Iko. Iko rarely ever had tact, but somehow this time she knew she had to hold in her squeals. The wide-eyed pointed look she gave Cinder spoke volumes, though.

"Uh, Kai, this is my friend, Iko," said Cinder, rolling her eyes. Kai grinned at this action and introduced himself to Iko. "I can, um, go on with Iko from here." Upon witnessing the slight hurt in Kai's eyes, she quickly amended her statement. "I'm sure you have stuff to do, you know, and I'm just slowing you down," she laughed unconvincingly.

This didn't seem to fix any of Kai's hurt. "Alright, I guess," he said, obviously attempting to brighten. "See you tomorrow night then, Cinder." This was with a happy smile, one that made her feel a bit better for ditching him. She reciprocated the sentiments and retrieved her books before watching him walk off into the distance, hands stuffed into his pockets.

Iko waited until he round the corner before hounding Cinder about the encounter, automatically taking Cinder's books. "Cinder! Why were you and _Kai Prince_ hanging out? And why wasn't I told?!" Iko squealed (nearly everything she said was with a squeal). "You're a terrible best friend for withholding this information!"

Cinder rolled her eyes. "I'm _tutoring_ him, Iko," she said, exasperation present in her tone. "I didn't know it was gonna be him until he showed up!"

Iko looked over at her, eyes narrowed. "Hm. Okay. I'll accept this."

A laugh erupting from inside of her, Cinder once again rolled her eyes at her friend. Iko was a pretty girl, gorgeous even. At the moment she was twirling her infamous blue braids. Iko had creamy dark skin and legs that went on miles. She was honestly much prettier than Cinder, whose hair was thin and straight and who only had one correctly functioning leg. Cinder did have tanned skin, pulling off the sun kissed without actually having to _be_ sun kissed (actually, at home, she spent a lot of time in the sun).

Together they walked to dinner, while Iko chatted happily about whatever had happened in the Ravenclaw Common Room.

* * *

The next morning, Cinder awoke on her left wrist and instantly felt the pain spring up there. She was in for a long day, it seemed. The only saving grace was that she was ambidextrous, something she appreciated more and more as the years went on.

Despite the trouble she had putting on her robes that morning and showering, she was out her room and rushing through the Common Room within an hour. She always rushed through the Common Room to escape the disgusted looks she got from her peers and whispered slurs. Today she was rushing to get to the Infirmary to get some painkillers for her wrist; otherwise it would be extremely hard to focus all day.

When she arrived, after fast limping all throughout the castle, she was met with two people. Dr. Erland, as to be expected, and – she realized with a jolt – Kai. Face reddening, she tucked away some of the fly away hairs behind her ears and schooled her features into indifference. She noticed Kai smile at her.

"Ah, Miss Linh. It's nice to see you here again," said Dr. Erland, amusedly watching Cinder smile back at Kai timidly.

"Not for me, Doctor," she said back on instinct, forcing her eyes away from Kai. "I just need some painkillers," said Cinder, wincing, "I slept on my wrist last night." Understanding dawning in his eyes, Dr. Erland walked off to go get that for her, leaving she and Kai alone.

"So, why are you here?" Cinder asked him, genuinely curious. Last she'd seen him he didn't look sick, and even now he looked perfectly healthy.

"Oh, I'm not sick or anything. Erland's a friend of mine," he said, dismissing the topic with a laugh. He asked whether or not she had made it safely to the Dining Hall. A bit disappointed he hadn't noticed her sitting at her table; she was about to answer when Erland returned, announcing his presence with a quick rattle of the bottle of pills he was holding. Handing them over, Cinder smiled at him gratefully, yet she lingered there.

"You know, I think the both of you are supposed to be getting to the Dining Hall around now," said Erland, a pointed look in his blue eyes. Both Kai and Cinder noticed this and blushed. Saying their goodbyes to an amused Erland, they walked out of the Infirmary together.

Feeling a little awkwardness seeping into the air around them, Cinder searched her brain for something to say. Luckily enough, Kai said something. "I practiced the spell a little more last night, you know. It's really easy to do now. I don't even have to think about it."

"Oh, really?" said Cinder, sensing her tone was sarcastic even thought she was admittedly feeling a bit proud. "Think you'll be able to try something a bit more intimidating that a pencil tonight?" she said, pausing for a dramatic gasp, "Maybe a… _pen_."

Kai laughed. "Who knows, maybe I'll even be able to do a _marker_. I'm feeling a bit lucky." Cinder chuckled at this a little. "Jokes aside, I really appreciate your help… I was totally hopeless before."

"I'm happy to help. It's actually a win-win situation – I get extra credit for tutoring and you-"

"I don't fail my NEWTS."

They laughed together again. "Yeah, that. See! Perfect situation."

"Yeah, I'd say we balance each other out very well." Cinder's eyes widened at this and Kai seemed to realize what he'd said when his eyes turned pink. He stuttered to correct the statement, "Uh, I mean. Er. You know what I mean. Right?" In an attempt to make him feel less embarrassed, she laughed and was glad to see him smile with relief at the sound.

Arriving at the Dining Hall, they walked in together, still smiling – Kai was grinning, in fact. But then reality set in for Cinder – they were from two different houses, and rival houses at that. With a quick, "See you later," Kai went to go sit with a few other Gryffindors, all of who were staring at her. Every bone in her body was focused on getting her to the Slytherin table faster under the scrutiny of Kai's friends. Of course, this didn't make too much of a difference. She sat down at the end of the table, which was her usual spot. Other outcast Slytherins sat around her, but none of them talked to her.

To be honest, they weren't outcast Slytherins, because every Slytherin was an outcast. The popular Slytherins sat at the top of the table and gave everyone else a bad reputation. Being in Slytherin house was good training for being alone, if anything.

After picking some toast, she finally gained the courage to look up at the Gryffindor table and she searched it, lying to herself that she wasn't really look for anyone in particular. When she found the familiar copper brown eyes and that they were staring right back at her, she smiled to herself, despite growing red. He grinned at her and she reciprocated it, finding comfort in the smile.

The morning news distracted her from staring at Kai. The owls flew in through the windows and she refocused her gaze upon them, smile sticking to her face resiliently. An owl dropped a newspaper in front of her. Still beaming, she took a look at the strong bolded letters and somehow any giddiness left over from Kai disappeared in a flash.

 _ **10 MUGGLE-BORNS FOUND MYSTERIOUSLY DEAD AROUND EUROPE**_

 _Blood-Purist Lunars suspected of murdering 10 different Muggle-borns in connected killing spree._

Headlines like this were not, unfortunately, rare.

Lunars were a group of dark magical people, intent on killing Muggle-borns like her for the sake of "cleansing" the magically community. They called themselves Lunars, at least. They followed a leader named Levana, who was hell-bent on destroying the Muggle-born population. The mark of a Lunar was a picture of a full moon, which they projected into the sky every time they killed.

Seeing headlines like this made Cinder fear for her life. She, after all, was a Muggle-born. Sometimes it felt as if no one was doing anything to fight against the cause. Cinder and the rest of the Muggle-borns were utterly helpless against Lunars, especially if their leader was Levana. The amount of magically skill Levana processed was terrifying to anyone to ever witness it. And she was bloodthirsty. It was common knowledge that she had murdered her sister and her sister's daughter just so she could be the only living Blackburn left. Some considered the Blackburns to be the Princes' counterparts – they were equal in power and wealth. Their only difference was the house they were usually sorted into. The House of Blackburn has a long record of Slytherin members. They were direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin himself. Slytherin's bastard son was named Cyprus Blackburn.

Cinder was staring, shocked, at the newspaper when Iko sat down across from her. "Hey, Cinder… Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah…" Cinder lied, but she didn't want to make Iko pity her.

At this response, Iko narrowed her eyes, but didn't question Cinder further, which Cinder was very grateful for. "Hey, did you hear about the Hogsmeade trip we have this weekend?" Iko asked her, obviously trying to change the subject with forced cheeriness in her tone. Though Cinder appreciated the effort, this got her thinking about another bad thing in her life, however pettier it seemed.

"Uh, no. My stepmother didn't sign the permission slip, Iko. I can't go."

Iko twirled her hair, saddened by this. After a few moments of silence, Iko brightened. "Hey, you know, maybe you can send a letter to your stepmother to convince her to left you go! With all the extra credit you've been doing, your grades must be higher than ever!"

Cinder couldn't deny, this was a valid suggestion – Cinder's grades were impeccable at the moment. Proving this to her stepmother might just be the bargaining chip she needed. New hope planted, Cinder thanked Iko and got up to leave. If she could get to her next class – Potions – early, she could begin writing her letter there. She basically hopped to get out of the Great Hall, already planning her wording out in her head.


	2. Of Questions and Mischief

**AN: I'm so grateful for the positive response I've already received for this fic! Thanks so much! :-)**

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Chapter 2

 _Of Questions and Mischief_

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The library always, without fail, smelt of drying ink and cleaning supplies. These scents only just masked the smell of rotting paper. Hogwarts was centuries old, after all. Kai highly doubted that they got new shipments of books for the library every month. It seemed they had nearly every single kind of textbook for nearly every single kind of subject.

Cinder was late. This was, Kai found, a little ironic, considering they had been joking about Kai's lateness to their last tutoring session when they had seen each other before lunch. Kai wasn't annoyed, though. Instead he was roaming through the different isles of books, looking for anything he found interesting for the sake of passing time. Soon he was preoccupied with a book about _Historic Magical Families_. He prepared himself to be bombarded with insane blood purist themes.

The first chapter was on one of the more famous families ever – the Blackburns. Kai hated the name with a passion. The Blackburn family was filled with evil Slytherins and blood thirsty Lunars. The only Blackburn living today was, of course, Levana. This meant she inherited thousands of precious and valuable items, as well as the rumored book entitled, _The Darkest Curses and Enchantments_. If Levana really did have access to the book, which had been in the Blackburn family for years apparently, then she was really unstoppable. There was a spell in there, Kai heard, that could allow the user to manipulate people, making them do or feel whatever they wanted. It terrified him.

And the only way to make sure Levana would never get the book would be to prove that there was a rightful heir to it. Levana's sister, Channary, left all Blackburn heirlooms to her daughter, Selene. Unfortunately, Levana killed Channary – possibly – and Selene was not killed too long afterward, leaving the book in the hands of the last living heir.

Suddenly sickened at Levana's powers, Kai put the book away, flustered and fuming. He made his way back to the table he and Cinder had sat at the day before, and removed his Transfiguration textbook from his bag. Despite his efforts to concentrate, his mind wandered back to the infamous Blackburn family. A daydream popped into his head – what if there was another heir to the Blackburn inheritance? Levana had a stepdaughter – named Winter, in Ravenclaw house – but she didn't have any actual Blackburn blood.

A jolt came along with a memory – Selene Blackburn had gone _missing_. It was only a year later when Levana had decided to pronounce her dead, assuming she had been kidnapped and murdered. They didn't have a body. It was possible Selene Blackburn was still alive, and therefore she was still the rightful heir to the Blackburn fortune. This could save the whole magical world from Levana and the Lunars' wrath. If she didn't have access to the book, she could no longer wreak havoc.

This dawned a new hope inside of Kai. Finding Selene could save them all. His biggest problem was, of course, where to start. A new sensation of thrill rushed throughout him. Mind racing with ideas, he almost didn't notice Cinder limp into the library and unceremoniously plop into the seat across from him. For a brief moment he was confused why she was there – though he wasn't complaining – and then he remembered their Transfiguration tutoring session.

"You're late," he teased, a grin tugging at his lips, already on an excited high from the prospect of a world free from the Lunars' grasp.

A small smile started on her lips, despite rolling her eyes. "We're even now." She removed some supplies from her bag, mostly being pencils and paperweights. "I was, um, owling a letter."

"Oh? To who?" Kai asked her, though he realized he didn't really have a right to know.

"Just my stepmother," she said tensely, reaching to fiddle with her tie. Cinder noisily cleared her throat and focused her gaze on the table. Kai felt a bit bad for prying, and would've said so if she didn't begin to speak again. "Anyways, uh, we should begin working on this spell."

Cinder started Kai off working on changing a pencil into a piece of cloth. Once he mastered that, they worked on turning the paperweights into goblets. Kai was brimming with happiness by the end of their session. The progress he'd made was stunning – from not being able to even transfigure half of an object to quick transformations he could do with little to no focus. He owed it all to Cinder – she really was a great tutor, and she was fantastic at Transfiguration.

They began to pack up their stuff. Kai's stomach growled with the prospect of dinner. It made him think about the bar in Hogsmeade he enjoyed going to. And that led him to another train of thought – Hogsmeade and the many girls who had asked him out that week. He told each and every one of them that he already had a date, despite not actually having one. If he didn't find a date soon, he would be harassed the whole time.

At once an idea popped into his head. There was only one person he would have really enjoyed taking on a date, even if they hadn't really known each other for too long. And she was sitting across from him. Figuring this was as good an opportunity as any to ask, he said, "Cinder?"

Looking up, she met her brown eyes with his. "Yeah, Kai?"

"Are you, by any chance, going to Hogsmeade this weekend?" This was a stupid question – who didn't go to Hogsmeade? It was one of their few freedoms at Hogwarts. No one would turn it down.

Cinder's smile fell unceremoniously from her face. "Why?"

A bit put off by the way she got so upset, Kai tried to keep his smile up. "Well, I was wondering if you'd like to go with me?"

As if afraid this was what he was going to ask her, Cinder deflated. "I can't," she said, crestfallen.

This time it was Kai whose smile faltered. "You can't?"

"No. I never got permission from my stepmother to go."

"Oh."

Cinder rushed out of her seat to be level with him. "It's not that I wouldn't if I could. Cause I really would. I just. Can't."

Forcing his smile, Kai nodded. "Well, that makes me feel a bit better," he lied. Suddenly, she stumbled from the effort it took to stand without her cane and collapsed onto his chest. Kai's arms automatically wrapped around her waist to steady her. It took a great deal of scrambling to make sure none of their bodies were in contact anymore.

Cinder was flaming red and Kai was sure from the way his ears burned that they were also a similar shade. He reached behind her and retrieved her cane so it would be easier for her to stand. She thanked him in what was possibly her smallest voice yet.

"So, um, I'm gonna go," she said awkwardly. "Bye, Kai…" She began to limp away. Kai watched as she uncomfortably adjusted the books in her hand walking through the door. He felt guilty. At the same time, he was hurt at the rejection, wishing he hadn't asked.

He consoled himself with the fact that it was because she wouldn't be going at all, not because she didn't want to go with him. Even so, there was a sinking feeling that he'd just lost a friend by his misguided romantic advance.

Kai sighed.

* * *

Cinder decided to skip dinner that night, opting to go to the Slytherin sixth year girls' dorms. No one else would be in there, luckily, otherwise she wouldn't have felt safe enough to venture into the room. Many of the other sixth year girls were very prejudiced against her for being Muggle-born. And poor. This was to be expected, of course, because sizeable amounts of Slytherins were affiliated with the Lunars.

Just as she'd thought, her dorm room was entirely empty.

Well, other than the owl sitting on her bed, a letter clutched in its beak. Cinder was surprised her stepmother had replied so quickly. She ran up to the owl and grabbed the letter from her. Typically, the bird bit her. Cinder and her owl had never really gotten along. The owl nearly always had a scowl on its face, despite not actually being capable of scowling. And it bit her every time. Without fail. This was why she had taken to calling the bird Adri Jr. in secret, in honor of her also sour stepmother.

Against her will, hope bubbled up in Cinder's stomach. Maybe Adri Senior would let her go to Hogsmeade for the first time, even though her peers had been allowed to go since their 3rd year. For the first time, however, she felt a certain irrepressible desire to go. The fact that Kai had asked her to go with him had itched at the back of her mind for the entire trek back to the Slytherin dungeons. It was harder to comprehend the more she thought about it – Gryffindor pureblooded Head Boy son-of-the-minister Kai Prince had asked _her_ on a date. Her being a Slytherin Muggle-born disabled girl. Many times she questioned whether or not it had actually happened or if it had been some twisted trick her brain played on itself. She and Kai barely knew each other, after all, yet he was asking her on a date.

Cinder's fingers trembled as she opened the letter. She took a quick skim of it, heart sinking to the bottom of her body. The flimsy paper fluttered to the ground as she glanced up, abruptly catching her refection in the mirror. She stared at it, surprised at the sting of tears she felt. Blinking rapidly, she frowned. It wasn't like there would ever be anything between her and Kai. They were too different to function. Even if she could go to Hogsmeade and on the date, there was no way they would last. He was leaving school next year, anyways. And they had only known each other for two days. All signs pointed to it being a helpless cause.

And yet.

The soft touch of his fingers on her waist replayed in her mind.

Adri wouldn't let her go. And in three seconds, she promised herself she would be okay with that. She and Kai would never work out. Not in a million years. This was just saving her the heartbreak.

* * *

The day of the Hogsmeade trip arrived quickly. Cinder hadn't spoken to Kai since she had declined his invitation. This saddened her more than she would have liked to admit. Not only had she turned down her crush, but she also lost a friend. That loss stung the most for she had so few friends.

One of them was Iko, who she had opted to sit near at breakfast rather than sit secluded at the Slytherin table. Soon, though, Iko would have to go to Hogsmeade along with ninety nine percent of the student body. Together they walked to the doors of the school, where a cluster of other students waited to begin on their walk to Hogsmeade.

"I really wish you could go, Cinder. It just won't be the same without you," whined Iko. She would be going with some of her Ravenclaw friends, as she always did. Iko knew Cinder better than she knew them, though, and regularly complained about them. Cinder suspected she was just trying to make her feel better.

"You say that as if I've ever went," Cinder said, a bit of regretful laughter following her statement. The Professors began to call the attention of the students, signaling that they would begin walking down very soon. Iko hugged Cinder goodbye before wandering off to find her friends.

Cinder began to move away from the crowd, stepping backwards. Of their own accord, her eyes started to search the crowd for a pair of familiar copper colored eyes. She frowned when she failed to find him, confused. It was likely he'd be there – possibly with another date. The thought twisted her stomach with dread.

Feeling a hand reach out to stop her, she spun around quickly, wanting to see the offender. Already growing hot, she found herself face to face with precisely the person she had been looking for. For a moment she was caught off guard by his stare, and his hand on her waist again.

He too began to blush, ears turning pink. "Uh, sorry. You were about to trip over my foot," said Kai, his lips turning up in a reluctant smile.

"Oh. Thanks," she said, uncertain. She remembered the way he had avoided her for the past few days, and it served to quell the fluttering butterflies in her stomach.

"So, uh, what are you doing here?" Kai asked, eyes flashing with hurt and dejection. She suddenly realized that it probably looked like she was going to Hogsmeade and had just lied about not being able to, just so she wouldn't have to go with _him_. She shook her head, trying to save face.

"I was only here to say goodbye to Iko." He seemed to inflate a bit at that. Cinder was glad and shot him a half smile. He returned it. Once again, the Professors yelled for attention from all of the students. They shouted something about permission slips and lining up with the head of your house.

"That's my cue, I guess. I'll, um, see you around, Cinder." At least he called her Cinder. She considered that to be a victory of some kind. Waving goodbye, he walked away and over to the head of Gryffindor house. To his receding back, she waved in return before heading off on her own way. This day alone would be good for her, she thought. The Slytherin Common room would be empty and she could catch up on some homework. The library would be empty too. These attempts to cheer herself up were in vain – she had all of her homework finished and she had no desire to hunker over ancient texts in a dusty old room.

Resigned to a boring day alone in the Common Room, she limped her way back. For some reason, daydreams of sneaking out into Hogsmeade and going on a date with Kai took over her mind. She basically floated to the Slytherin dungeons. When she entered the Common Room, she didn't expect to see another student in there. She vaguely recognized him after years of living together. The most she could remember about him was that he was in his seventh year, and had a knack for mischief. Once he had found his way into the seventh year girls' dorm. There had been a lot of screaming that day.

The boy was rather handsome, if she had been attracted to the dark-hair-blue-eyes-bad-boy trope. He flashed her a cocky grin, obviously one that had taken years to perfect. Eying him suspiciously, she sat down on the couch across from him, and opened the book she had been carrying since breakfast that morning.

Her mind was still racing with plans to sneak off into Hogsmeade, though she doubted they would ever be realized. She needed a second person if she wanted to get anything done – and then it hit her. The only other person she knew who wasn't at Hogsmeade and who appeared to be entirely free – the boy sitting across from her.

Once again, she stared at hm. He caught her gaze and held it, a smirk tugging at his lips. Cinder got the distinct impression he thought she was attracted to him.

"I know you must want to cement _this_ face into your memory, but staring is a bit rude, don't you think?" he said, smirk now more pronounced than ever.

Cinder rolled her eyes, but a thought occurred to her. If he could sneak into the girls' dorms, which were charmed to protect again boys just like him, then obviously he could sneak into Hogsmeade. With a jolt, she also remembered his name – Thorne. Carswell Thorne.

"So. Thorne. What do you say about helping me sneak into Hogsmeade?" she said, eyebrow rising in challenge. He seemed like the kind of person who was unable to turn down a challenge.

His smirk broke into a grin. "You're on."


	3. Of Spies and Attacks

**AN: A late night writing burst gives you this chapter!**

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Chapter 3

 _Of Spies and Attacks_

* * *

It had taken Thorne and Cinder all of 10 minutes to come up with a plan. Cinder learned quickly that he knew a great deal more about the Hogwarts castle than she did. Somehow he knew there was a secret passageway beneath the one-eyed-witch statue to get into the village, but when Cinder asked how, he simply and cockily replied:

"A captain doesn't reveal his secrets."

Even though she was sure that had nothing to do with being a captain.

Their biggest obstacle would be getting pass the Professors still in the castle, and then getting through Hogsmeade undetected. This was the reason Cinder knew she would need a partner – or _invisibility_ , if she were being frank. With Thorne, they had decided each one would cause a diversion on different sides of the castle and meet up at the one-eyed-witch. This would take a great deal of running on Thorne's part – since there was no way she'd be running with her cane and too short leg. Once in the cellar of Honeydukes, they would have to sneak up one at a time and basically wing it from there. Cinder wasn't worried, though. She figured she could evade capture well enough and it seemed Thorne could definitely hold his own.

At the moment she was waiting two hallways away from the statue, just about ready to cause her diversion. It was simple. She would use a charm to make a loud and cheerful tune play in the corridor, and it wouldn't stop until _she_ reversed the spell. This could get the remaining Professors stumped for a while, and definitely annoyed. They wouldn't be paying too much attention to watching over Cinder and Thorne – who they had previously glanced at suspiciously too many times. Cinder suspected this was because of Thorne's already imperfect reputation.

Upon hearing the exasperated groan of the DADA professor, she smirked. Cinder walked as fast as possible to get back to the statue to wait for Thorne. When she got there, she was shocked to see a short, blonde girl waiting there for her, as if she had been expecting Cinder to arrive. The girl's blue eyes were widened in fear and huge looking. On top of this, the girl had an unruly blonde mane that fell down around her ankles. It eclipsed her. Cinder vaguely remembered seeing that unforgettable hair before.

She latched herself onto Cinder's shoulders, automatically making Cinder feel uncomfortable. "Um. Who are you?" asked Cinder, bewilderment and indignation leaking through her voice.

The girl brushed strands of blonde hair out of her eyes and reddened significantly. "I-I'm Cress. I have some important things to tell you!" she exclaimed, mushing her words together and sounding frantic. "You can't go into Hogsmeade today. You just _can't_."

"How did you know I was going to Hogsmeade?"

Cress' eyes searched for someplace to land, anywhere other than Cinder's face. "I suppose you've heard the castle walls 'have ears…'" she said, her tone dark and shameful, resembling one of a person just caught in a terrible act. "Well, I am those 'ears.' _Lunar_ ears."

Cinder's eyes widened. So the rumors were true – Lunars were spying on students in the castle. And the innocent looking girl in front of her was the one doing it. She was a Lunar spy. Cinder automatically recoiled from her, scared she would attack and reveal herself to be feral and blood thirsty, despite Cress looking about as threatening as a kitten.

"So I know things," mumbled Cress, biting her lip and still directing her gaze towards the floor. Even though Cinder was suspicious, she motioned for Cress to continue. "I know that Levana is going to attack Hogsmeade Village. Which is why you _cannot_ go."

Despite Cinder's reluctance to trust Cress, she took this bit of information very seriously. Lunars were going to attack. Who knew how many people were going to die if they weren't told – how many innocent children would die for the sake of this war. Jutting out her chin, she said, "I need to warn them."

Cress' head began to shake rapidly. "You can't!" She was growing more panicked the more time ran on. "If you leave, you could die!"

"If I don't leave, all of _them_ are going to die!" Them included Iko. Included Kai. Determination bubbled inside of her, adrenaline pumped through of her. She _had_ to save them, even if Cress was too much of a coward to.

The pitter-patter of footsteps indicated Thorne's presence to the girls. Cress instantly fell into a state of utter panic. "That's Thorne," said Cinder, jaw flexed, with an even and tight tone tinting her words. "You have to leave _now_ , Cress."

The blonde girl only managed to nod, and she rushed away. From behind a wall a few yards away, she gave Cinder a look. A look that portrayed all her emotions quite clear – it was a look of well wishing and confirmation.

A silent, but sure message.

 _Good luck._

* * *

Once outside of Honeydukes, the smug grins of Thorne and Cinder were basically untamable. They had done it, without a hitch – other than Cress, of course. Cinder told Thorne about the other girl on their way through the passageway that stretched on forever. This, for some reason, spread a smirk across Thorne's face. It did not take long for them to agree on a plan in which they saved their fellow students too. They decided to split up – for Thorne had something he needed to buy in Gladrags – and then alert as many people as they could before meeting up back at Honeydukes to leave in thirty minutes.

Thorne saluted her as he walked away and she grinned in return, before checking her surroundings. As soon as she was sure there were no Professors around, she began looking for Iko and Kai, whichever came first. It wasn't long before she was passing by in front of the Three Broomsticks Inn, where she caught sight of Kai sitting at a table. With a girl.

For a second her blood boiled. He had so quickly moved on, avoiding her for the rest of the week and getting another girl. And yet he'd had the nerve to make her feel _bad_ that morning about not going! Reality settled, however – she had been the one who couldn't go. And it certainly wasn't like he was hers only. He had every right to do what he did.

The girl rose out her seat, taking her bag with her. Vaguely, it registered in Cinder's mind that the girl could be just a friend of Kai's. Swallowing her pride, Cinder walked into the pub with her head down to make sure none of the Professors in the back noticed her. Cinder forced herself to remember the objective of being there. It was not so she could go on a date with Kai – rather it was to prevent mass death and destruction. Her heartbeat filled her ears as this settled in. Too many lives were at stake for her to be doing this.

Throwing her shoulders back, she walked over to where Kai sat alone. "Is anyone sitting here?" she asked, eyebrows rising meaningfully. He turned to her, surprise flooding into his features.

"Cinder? How did you –?"

"I sneaked out."

His eyes widened, before he quickly motioned for her to sit down. Cinder was pleased at this – so she wasn't coming back, and it most likely hadn't been a date. Kai smiled at her, and she almost lost sight of her object once more.

Cinder pressed her lips together, and decided to just say it outright: "Kai. Listen. Lunars are going to attack the village."

His jaw fell as he gaped at her. Eyes darting around the room suddenly, as if maybe Levana was there already, he ran his hands through his hair. " _Lunars_?" he repeated, not even attempting to hide his fear. "A-are you sure? How do you know?"

"There is a Lunar spy who goes to Hogwarts," she said, watching as Kai's eyes darkened. "She warned me."

For a moment they stared at each other, the gravity of the situation dawning on them simultaneously. People were going to die today if they didn't do something. The fate of the majority of Hogwarts students was lying in their hands. The pressure made Cinder's stomach drop.

It was a while before either of them spoke. "We have to do something," Kai said, determination shown in the way he flexed his jaw. Cinder nodded, unable to speak.

Sliding off his chair, Kai held out a hand for Cinder. Grateful for the assistance in her slightly disoriented state, she kept hold of his hand as they speed walked out of the pub. She opened her mouth to speak, but a scream distracted her.

It was a blood-curdling scream. One made from only the terror of death.

The scream chilled her bones, made every one of her nerves squirm for this person, who most have been on the verge of death, or enduring some other tragedy of nearly the same severity. It inflicted new bouts of terror within her. Kai met her eyes as a single thought registered between them – _they were under attack_.

Cinder clamped her eyes shut, somehow hoping it would block out the sound of the ongoing screech. People all around were stopping to look around, wondering where such a fear-inducing scream was coming from. She clung to Kai's hand and tightened her grip around her cane – it would not be easy for her to get around.

Kai retrieved his wand from his pocket and pointed it at nothing in particular. The scream ceased. This calmed Cinder for about half a second before a more immediate danger presented itself.

Black cloaked monsters seemed to fall from the sky in black funneling clouds, her vision suddenly overwhelmed by their dark mobs. They were not actually monsters, in fact, but Lunars, suddenly manifesting in the empty spaces of the village. The Lunars pushed in to suffocate Cinder and Kai.

Cinder squeezed Kai's hand before letting go of him to get her want form her waistband. He looked into her eyes as the Lunars formed a circle of darkness around them, a look that displayed every single one of his emotions, with fear at the top of the spectrum. Cinder could only stare at the intensity for a moment more before a Lunar in the front fired a disarming spell. She blocked it and fired back, anger seizing her.

This set off a cycle of spell throwing, lighting up the tension filled air with a rainbow colors. Purples, reds, blues – all with the power to endanger them. Enough different things were being thrown at them that Cinder and Kai could only defend themselves. There wasn't enough of a margin of time between each hex shot at them for them to throw anything back. It was then a test of speed and instincts only. Cinder's arm was moving so quickly, yet she only blocked about 90% of every curse coming her way.

It felt like the Lunars were closing in on them, walking closer with every spell, making it even harder for Cinder and Kai to defend. They were wearing masks too, only really noticeable once they came closer. The sides were painted white and black, to resemble a half moon.

Balance lost, Cinder fell back into Kai. With his hand now resting on her back, a sense of hopelessness began to overwhelm her as her arm became even more exhausted and the masked faces began to take up her vision entirely. As a last resort, she shot disarming spells in every direction, giving up on defense. If only Transfiguration was more helpful in situations like this.

Kai's hand slid off of her as he slumped against her. He slipped to the ground. A cloaked form reached out and grabbed her – yanked her. Cinder's scream barely pierced the air when she was hit with a curse she hadn't heard the incantation to.

The world grew dark.

* * *

The room Kai awoke to was pitch black. There were no windows and no lights. He could barely see, other than the movement of a person next to him. A girl next to him. He could see her chest moving and hear her breathing, but those were the only indications that she was alive.

It took a moment for his memory to jog. He remembered being in Hogsmeade, seeing Cinder, the Lunar attack, but he couldn't remember how he got to – wherever he was. The last thing in his memory was fighting back to back with Cinder in the middle of the village. Taking another sensory look around the room, he noticed there was a door in front of him.

Whoever had taken him obviously hadn't done it with care, for there were cuts and scratches all over his body. There were no bindings on him, however. Though his body was aching, he managed to rise. The door was locked. By then his eyes had adjusted a bit and he could examine his surroundings better – there was no one other than Cinder, but the walls were lined with boxes. Was it a storage room of some kind?

A rustling distracted him from his musings. Cinder was moving. In a flash he was back by her side, his hands assisting her in sitting up. She fell back against his chest, weak coughs escaping her body. Her cane was nowhere to be found on the ground around them.

"K-Kai?" she inquired, in a wobbly voice.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Where are we?" She stared up at him, brown eyes imploring and huge looking in the darkness.

Motioning around them to the abundance of crates, he said, "I think we're in some kind of storage room. Underneath one of the shops, probably. We could maybe find out which one if we checked what's in them…" Kai trailed off, rising off the floor. Cinder felt around for her cane.

"Uh, Kai. I can't find my cane." Cinder continued her frantic search in spite of her words.

He offered her a helping hand and shook his head. "If it's not here, then it's up there." He sounded resigned. Cinder accepted his assistance, but she grumbled about it.

The sound of shoes stepping down somewhere around them stopped them in their tracks. The movement was slow, taking its time laying each foot down on the floor in front of the door. A light shone through the bottom of the crack. Cinder and Kai scrambled back to the floor. Only the sound of their breathing was heard against the key turning in the lock.

Their captor was here.

The orange light flooded in as the door opened, gentle and teasing. It creaked agonizingly. A woman stepping in the glare, taking her time, drawing each her steps out as she stood silhouetted before them. The door slammed behind her and the lock clicked. There was a full five seconds filled with silence before the woman reached out and flicked on the light.

For a moment he was blinded by it. But once his vision cleared, any doubt Kai had was vanquished in a moment. His heart slumped against his ribcage. It was _her_.

Levana.

With his doubt went his hope. Every possible situation outcome flashed through his brain that one instant, each one only serving to make in grimmer and grimmer. There was a very slim chance he and Cinder would make it out of this escapade alive.

"Ah. It's good see you've both come to," tittered Levana. Her voice was sweet and melodious. Kai's insides writhed with hatred. He failed to mask this reaction, though, and another tinkling laugh came from Levana. "Oh, my dear Kaito. You would do well to learn to conceal your emotions better."

Levana's eyes rolled over to Cinder, and they instantly narrowed. "And who is this – this riffraff you've acquainted yourself with? A Mudblood. In my presence."

Outraged on Cinder's behalf, he moved to hold her hand. Levana's eyes widened in disbelief. Kai had almost spoken when Cinder beat him to it.

"Rather a Mudblood than a murderer," she spat, venom dripping from the words. Kai hadn't blinked before Levana was there. The sound of her hand connecting with Cinder's cheek made him flinch, but Cinder's chin remained upward and proud.

"Filth! How _dare_ you speak to me with such disrespect?" Levana shrieked. "What is your name, Mudblood?"

"Cinder," she answered. The words sounded as if they had been ripped out of her against her will. She moved her head so that her hair covered the redness of the cheek that had been smacked only moments before.

"Cinder. Like ashes. Like _dirt_." A smirk lit up Levana's face. "How very fitting." Watching as she reached into her pocket, Kai's heartbeat spiked when she retrieved her wand. Even more possibilities streamed through his head. He urged Cinder not to speak, meeting her eyes with a warning look.

"What do you want with us?" he asked, knowing that Levana would be a bit more receptive to his questions.

Levana's smirk morphed into a grin, one that looked unnaturally twisted on her beautiful face. "Oh, nothing, darling Kaito," she said, eyes shifting between him and Cinder slowly and teasingly. "Just have a lesson to teach." Levana tittered.

Kai raised an eyebrow – he hated cryptic messages.

"A lesson about what will happen to students who attempt to fight Lunars – and then proceed to insult me," she added, gaze frozen on Cinder. Though Kai hadn't thought it possible, Levana's grin widened.

"Now, which one of you will go first?" she mused gently, despite her stare moving over to Kai. He swallowed. "Yes – I think it should be you, Kaito. Maybe it will teach the Mudblood to learn her place."

Cinder squeezed his hand.

" _Crucio_." It was said in an achingly calm voice, sweet and saccharine.

The pain was instant. Instant and unexplainable. It was like a billion knives all pressing into his skin at once – piercing every nerve, every cell individually. It was like being crushed by the entire planet, the bodies of 7 billion different people releasing all their weight onto him. It was like being bit all at once by billions of snakes, feeling as each different fang sunk into his body, releasing a jolt of venom – venom he could feel poisoning his insides.

This was the Cruciatus curse. An Unforgivable.

A guttural scream ripped itself from him. He only knew it was his scream because his throat burned. Lights flashed in front of his eyes. Hands clawed at him, scratching everywhere. He was sure they would have skin trapped in their nails. They were _his_ hands, searching for the source of pain, but the hurt was everywhere, and it wouldn't rest.

There was a second scream. This time feminine, but it was barely heard it over the sound of his torture. Another woman was laughing. The giggles filled his ears, drowning out anything else.

"Stop! Stop hurting him! You're torturing him, stop!" The other girl chanted this. "Kai!"

Suddenly, it ceased. The shadows of the knives and the bodies and snakes stayed with him, however. Kai struggled to maintain his focus. There were a few moments before he remembered what was happening. It took a few more for him to realize he could move, and that it was over. The room, which had previously slipped out of his grasp, came rushing back to him. The fluorescent light above. A girl whimpering and a woman tittering. Nausea threatened to take over.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" asked Levana, erupting into even more giggles, as if this was the funniest thing ever. "Now – your turn, Mudblood…"

There was a thump form above them. Hope filled him – maybe someone had heard his screams… The sounds moved closer – footsteps, it seemed. Levana stopped all her movements and turned toward the door. Cinder's hand grabbed him in Levana's distraction.

 _I'm sorry_ , she mouthed. Quietly she shifted closer to him.

There was a knock at the door – though if Kai thought about it, it was more of a bump than a knock. It repeated, this time with more urgency. The room was submerged in darkness again – Levana had flicked the switch. There was a vaguely familiar voice outside, saying the incantation to a spell:

" _Alohomora_."

The lock clicked. Levana cursed to herself. Kai smirked – she hadn't thought to put any charms on the door to protect it from simple spells like that.

The intruder began to turn the knob. Neither Kai nor Cinder was breathing. Hope was racing throughout Kai, but there was doubt behind it – it could have just been a Lunar. The light was like a flash behind the man, who, unlike Levana, wasted no time in opening the door. He used a wand lighting charm so Kai could see his face clearly.

Kai released a breath of relief, all his tension gone in a second. They were safe.

It was Head Auror Konn Torin.

Upon meeting the eyes of the Auror, Levana's face turned furious, but this emotion did not hinder her beauty in the slightest. Torin did not have time to confront her before Levana Apparated out of the storage room, leaving emptiness in her wake.

Torin directed his gaze towards the two children on the floor. At once, he rolled his eyes. "Ah. Kai. I should not have expected anything less."

Kai could only smirk in reply.


	4. Of Detention and Crews

**AN: This chapter is a bit shorter than the other ones. I'm going to be going on vacation tomorrow, so I just wanted to get this update out before they may become rare. Thanks so much for all the positive feedback I've been getting lately!**

* * *

Chapter 4

 _Of Detention and Crews_

* * *

"You arrived in the nick of time," Kai said jokingly as Torin lent him a hand. His legs were wobbly, a likely side effect of the Cruciatus curse's pain. The fact that he was not tortured into utter insanity soothed him, as well as the stabilizing hand of Cinder's in his. It was truly very good luck Torin had come when he had; otherwise both he _and_ Cinder would have been worn from the Unforgivable curse.

Torin rolled his eyes. The head auror was an old friend and consultant of Kai's father, the minister. They had worked together in close quarters for as long as Kai could remember. Torin had unofficially dubbed as Kai's caretaker back when Kai's mother was still alive. Torin was one of the people Kai felt he could confide in with confidence. He was the only auror Kai would've felt absolutely safe with. Gratefulness flooded through him, though he disguised it with a playful attitude.

The auror's eyes floated between Kai and Cinder, briefly flickering down to their still intertwined hands with a raise of his eyebrows. "Care to introduce to me to your friend, Kai?" he said. If Kai hadn't known him so well, he wouldn't have caught the undertone of amusement beneath his curiousity.

"This is, uh, Cinder Linh," Kai said, refusing to acknowledge the way his ears were growing hot. He hardly felt like this was appropriate for the situation, but anything to distract him from the memory of pain at the forefront of his brain. "She's also a student. Sixth year." Cinder shifted, and then he remembered her leg in his hazy state. Though it took focus, he leaned onto a crate behind to them.

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, did you happen to see a cane up there, by any chance?" Cinder spoke up, her voice thick with emotion – pain, probably, and relief.

"Or our wands?" Kai added hopefully.

His heart dropped as Torin shook his head sadly. Torin motioned for them to follow him outside of the storage room they were in. Moving up the stairs was a feat for both Kai and Cinder. His legs regained strength with every step, though, and he lent most of this to Cinder, who obviously needed it more.

Hogsmeade was still and silent. The black-cloaked Lunars were nowhere in sight. Aurors were milling about, offering help and support to all of the students and citizens who had been victims in the attack. Kai's eyes were unfortunately drawn to a pile of bodies lying in the corner. Bile climbed up his already sore throat, along with a newfound hatred for Lunars. Before he witnessed this cruelty, he had disliked them, but now there was a loathing there.

He needed to find Selene Blackburn. Desperately.

Torin led them inside one of the restaurants, where all of the tables had been pushed to the side to create a safe house for the injured and/or rescued. Inside there were mostly Hogwarts students, being assisted by Dr. Erland and other professors. There was a heap of retrieved wands on a table, Torin told them. They moved over to look through as the head auror went back outside to assist to the rest of the victims. Both Kai and Cinder had found their wands on in this pile, but a quick scope of the room proved to them that Cinder's cane was still no where to be found.

A voice interrupted them. "Cinder!" said a boy barreling towards them, recognizable only because they were in the same year. It was Thorne. Kai's eyes narrowed – Thorne had never been one of his favorite people, for two reasons: being Slytherin and being the most annoyingly reckless person he'd ever had the misfortune of meeting. And there was now another reason – Thorne's cheeky grin, paired with his undeniable attractiveness, all aimed at Cinder, who was the object of Kai's current affections.

"Oh! Thorne," Cinder replied, sounding surprised. "I'm glad to see you're okay." _How_ could they possibly know each other?

Thorne's gaze shifted over to Kai, and his unnerving grin seemed to turn into a smirk. "Wow. You really weren't kidding when you said you had a date with _Kai Prince_." Cinder blushed, glancing over at Kai. "Well done – I really wouldn't have pegged you as the type of girl with enough charm to snag the Head Boy…"

Rolling her eyes, Cinder said, "Um, Kai, this is my friend, Thorne. We snuck out of the castle together." It made a little more sense to Kai then – Thorne was unsurprisingly cunning and intelligent. He was a Slytherin, after all. And that would be Thorne and Cinder's one link – their house.

"It's okay, Linh," said Thorne, snickering, "we've met."

Before Kai could reply – this was lucky, because he was for once having trouble with finding something sarcastic to say – one of the shaken looking professors began to speak at the front of the room. He said they were going to go back to Hogwarts momentarily, cutting this trip short. Much to Kai's dismay, the Headmaster apparently wanted to discontinue all future Hogsmeade trips until further notice.

The professor, who was also Head of Gryffindor, made her way over to him. "Mr. Prince – can I trust you to lead the students back to the castle along with the Head Girl?" she asked. There was no time for Kai to answer, as the professor's unimpressed gaze drifted over to Cinder and Thorne standing next to him. "Miss Linh, Mr. Thorne," she drawled, eyebrows slowly rising, "I'm rather sure, Thorne, that you were _suspended_ from Hogsmeade trips 2 years ago for a record of theft…"

Thorne cringed slightly, but his grin stayed intact. "Yes, Professor, that is true."

She cocked on perfectly arched brow at him. "Detention, Thorne. You should know better." Her stare only turned on Cinder once Thorne had shrugged lightly, seemingly okay with the punishment. "And, you, Miss Linh…I don't quite remember you coming into Hogsmeade this morning," she said in a much gentler tone – but still stern nonetheless.

The wince on Cinder's face seemed to be answer enough. The professor checked down on the list she had, apparently of all the students they should be accounted for that day. When she obviously didn't find Cinder's name, she looked up with disappointment. "Detention, Linh. It's upsetting I have to give out so many on such a day."

Kai found this to be the perfect time interrupt. "You know, Professor, you don't actually _have_ to give out detentions…"

The professor gave him a cold look. "Prince, if I were you, I would be getting to my Head duties before I received detention myself," she said, before stalking off, robes swishing loudly behind her.

* * *

Their detention was administered abnormally quickly – Cinder found herself sitting with Thorne and two other students only five hours after they left Hogsmeade that afternoon. In fact, everything at Hogwarts was being done with abnormal speed. The Hospital Wing was crammed with injured children, and Erland had taken in a band of professors to order around. Most people were sent out within an hour, all their wounds magically corrected, with an instruction to "rest." Cinder herself had been there to get a new cane – there had been none, and in the end she just transfigured one – and the voices of her fellow classmates followed her, each of them wanting to know about her run in with Levana. How they already knew about it was a wonder.

Cinder had met up with Thorne in the Common Room that evening, two hours before dinner was set to begin. He, too, asked about the encounter, but of course she revealed nothing. This was mostly because she was too tired to even remember the meeting, and it was an emotionally draining time as is. Their walk to the classroom was mostly silent; on occasion Thorne causally stated some observation he made. It would be a vain attempt to shut him up, Cinder knew.

The school caretaker unfortunately decided to stick them in the dungeons that day. Thorne said it wasn't as bad as it sounded – there was no doubt in her mind that he had been through his share of detentions in the past – but Cinder had little desire to scrub cauldrons for two hours without the help of magic. Especially when her wrist had begun to throb an hour ago and showed no sign of stopping.

She sighed. The other two students were carrying their own conversation across the classroom. From their shared intense expression, she could tell it was serious and somewhat intimate. Though, they both seemed to have slowed their cauldron cleaning, and she wished they would do their share. Enough glances back to their argument had Thorne staring as well.

"Hey!" Thorne shouted, pausing his work. "I can see you're both having quite the time right now, but it'd be great if you'd do some work," he said bluntly. The girl apparently had no shame, if her responding glare at Thorne was anything to go by. Her companion, on the other hand, seemed to be surprised, as if maybe he'd forgotten there were other people there.

"Oh, please, Thorne. I doubt you're getting anything done either." She rolled her eyes, flipping red curls out of her face. "Wolf and I are actually having an _important_ conversation."

Thorne laughed at this. "About what, Benoit? How great it is to be 'in _love_?'" he mocked, his snickers never-ending. The girl – Benoit – scoffed and returned to Wolf. Cinder could recognize the last name – she must have been the Gryffindor _Scarlet_ Benoit, who was known throughout the school as being a bit mad. And "Wolf" had to be Ze'ev Kelsey of Hufflepuff, who was primarily known for being about the buffest person at Hogwarts, and for being Scarlet Benoit's completely whipped boyfriend. Both of them were in their seventh year.

After about thirty minutes passed of Benoit and Kelsey's mutterings along with Cinder and Thorne's occasional playful arguments about one thing or another, conversation between the two pairs sparked again. They probably could have gone the entire detention without speaking, but sounds of kissing behind Cinder and Thorne made them pause. Benoit and Kelsey had been an aggressive make out session. The sight made Cinder cringe.

"Gross," Thorne groaned, voicing Cinder's thoughts exactly. "Get a room."

Thankfully, they pulled away, for Benoit to roll her eyes again. "This is a room. You don't have to look."

"We have to hear it, though," Cinder said, a bit irritated. Her wrist still ached incessantly, but she couldn't leave to get any sort of painkillers. And she was exhausted, not to mention starving. She'd definitely have to go to the kitchens later, skipping dinner in the Great Hall, just so she could get a little more sleep.

Though she didn't at all regret speaking, Benoit's peeved look was enough to silence her. The other girl removed herself from Kelsey's embrace, if only to focus more of her energies on glaring. She almost opened her mouth to say something before Thorne did.

"So what was so important that you two were talking about? You never answered before." Benoit raised an eyebrow, as if silently asking him why he even cared. He only shrugged in response.

Finally beginning to clean one of the grimy cauldrons in front of her, Benoit sighed. "We were just talking about Lunars. It was terrible today."

Kelsey nodded. "If there was some way to defeat Levana…"

Had Thorne not burst into a bout of barking, harsh laughter, he might have gone on. Thorne's snickering drowned out anything else Kelsey had to say. Cinder felt her eyes widen as she processed the information they had just given her – had they seriously been trying to find a way to defeat _Levana_? It was impossible – she would know, after the day she had. Even the Lunars alone were undefeatable and skilled with magic. There was no mistaking the raw power they had. The only way Levana would be conquered was if they found a way to logically overpower her, without ever even engaging her.

"That's hilarious," exclaimed Thorne, his laughter not dying down in the slightest. "If you two think you can take down Levana, you've got another thing coming." His giggles sprouted again. "But, by all means, _try_."

Benoit frowned at him. "There _is_ a way – and we've already figured it out." This only seemed to make Thorne cackle even louder, however, and she huffed. "Do you want to know or not?" Cinder motioned for the girl to continue, none-too-gently hitting Thorne in the stomach to quell his laughter. It was successful and, by Benoit and Kelsey's returning chuckles, they were all rather grateful.

According to Kelsey, their plan had to do with the Blackburn family. Levana was the last living heir, which gave her access to centuries worth of wealth and items, as well as the rumored Dark Arts book that could give her powerful and deathly curses to release on the population – including a spell that could make people abide to her every wish. If there were another heir, however, Levana would lose any control that she had. Thus brought them to bring up the case of the missing Selene Blackburn, who had been pronounced dead, yes, but there was no body. After of year of Selene's disappearance, they had decided she had been kidnapped and killed, leaving Levana heir.

If they found Selene, they could defeat Levana. Thorne didn't dare laugh.

"All we know about Selene Blackburn right now is that she should be sixteen years old and magical," Scarlet said, after a moment of intense silence between them, "to find her we're going to need all the help we can get."

There was no hesitation before Thorne gave his consent, "I'm in. We could become the most famous wizards and witches ever, you know, for saving the world. I'm _definitely_ in." Scarlet rolled her eyes at him, but smiled at his answering grin. "What about you, Cinder?" Thorne asked, after a moment passed without her saying anything.

Cinder bit her lip thoughtfully. There was still a great chance Selene Blackburn was dead. She might have _actually_ been kidnapped and viciously murdered at three years old. Or maybe even Levana herself had killed her niece. The probabilities were so low, yet she couldn't help but hope. With Kai's screams resonating in her ears, she wanted nothing more than to see Levana put down. As faith bubbled inside of her, she shot a grin to her three companions.

"I'm in."


	5. Of Searches and Grandmothers

**AN: I found I little free time to write this. I've decided to go back and name all the chapters, don't be alarmed! Who else feels like every single noun in the Harry Potter universe is capitalized? It can't just be me! Once again, thanks for all the positive reviews!**

* * *

Chapter 5

 _Of Searches and Grandmothers_

* * *

It was hard finding a place to begin. Really, how were you supposed to find a missing girl, with no indication on what she would look like or where she would be? The only thing Kai knew for sure about Selene was that she should have to be sixteen. Any other points beyond that were completely unsure. Which was why he had enlisted the help of a good friend of his – she was likely the smartest person at Hogwarts – Nainsi.

The subject had at first confused her. She'd pestered him with questions like, "Why are we searching for a dead girl?" or "What if she is actually dead?" This had, of course, disheartened him just a bit, but it only took the memory of the Cruciatus curse's knives and snakes and weighted flesh to renew his drive. Nainsi was just too logical sometimes – if he could manage to convince her it was worthwhile to at least _look_ for Selene Blackburn, then she would help.

And manage he did. The Monday after the Hogsmeade trip Kai and Nainsi sat in the Room of Recruitment – a place he had found after a particularly upsetting day years ago – pondering the missing girl thoughtfully. Of course, it had been Nainsi to think of the first step – check any and all newspaper records from the day Selene disappeared. A trip to the library had found them what they were looking for. The peculiar part was that the headline for the day did even not mention the little girl. Kai took this to mean only one thing – it had been kept under wraps. Obviously they hadn't been looking too hard for Selene.

Which, again, could only mean one thing – Levana.

Only two weeks later, they found, did a headline mention Selene for the first time. It read:

 **DAUGHTER OF THE LATE CHANNARY BLACKBURN REPORTED MISSING**

But there was no mention of suspects and it appeared there were no leads. And there was also, suspiciously, no mention of Levana. Not so much as a quote from Selene's last remaining blood family member, nor an alibi for her. In fact, the article had been short and only revealed the barest of details. It seemed as if they hadn't at all searched for the girl, and with Levana's influence stretched so tight over everything in the ministry, she was pronounced dead.

Their next step, Nainsi deduced, was to track Levana's actions of the day. There had been a ministry gala, they learned. Kai actually could remember this gala. Of course, he couldn't recall everything, having been only four years old, but he knew distinctly that Levana had been there, because he was terrified of her in his young age. Perhaps it was some crazy toddler insight that he had.

So Levana had an alibi. But that still didn't mean she _wanted_ Selene there – the motivation was all there, and the lack of drive in the ministry to _find_ Selene was proof enough. Their next course of action was to pen a letter to Blackburn Manor's house elves and servants. Kai's stomach twisted with dread – this letter would be the knowledge they needed of Selene's life. The thought that Selene _had_ really been captured passed his mind daily, but his hope overcame it time and time again.

It was days later when Nainsi received a letter back. The servants, who do also believe that Levana had something to do with Selene's disappearance, were more than happy to spread their knowledge. According to them, Levana had given Selene to a doctor, by the name of Logan Tanner, claiming Selene had fallen ill. Tanner had taken the toddler from the house that night – and Selene never returned. They would have reported him to the authorities, but being servants they had little power against Levana, who forced them into silence.

Kai and Nainsi did extensive research on this Logan Tanner. Unfortunately, he had died earlier that year, from an apparent suicide. This, at first, had seemed like the end of their leads, but Nainsi began to look into Tanner's family members and friends. He had no family, but it was reported that he spent a lot of time with a Michelle Benoit during his life and last days. The mental hospital he died in said Benoit had visited him multiple times.

And Michelle Benoit owned a magical children's orphanage, known for controversially letting unsuspecting Muggle families adopt witches and wizards.

Of course, the last name Benoit was very familiar to them.

"You've got to ask her, Kai," Nainsi said, her being Scarlet Benoit, a friend of his, but not close enough to trust her with _this_ information. "Her grandmother is sure to tell her about the Selene and if she ever had her. She could have been adopted by a Muggle family!"

Kai was conflicted – the entire magical world _needed_ Selene. He'd have to find some way to ask Scarlet – but how?

* * *

After days of careful consideration, Kai knew exactly what he had to do. It was mandatory to tell Scarlet of his plans. There was no way Scarlet would let him get in contact with her grandmother if he didn't. And she'd probably agree – he knew she wasn't a blood purist as she was a half-blood and nearly all Gryffindors wanted to find a way to defeat Levana. From the conversations they'd had in the past, Scarlet was no exception to this rule.

In the Gryffindor Common Room, he noticed her sitting down by the fireplace, studying. It was the perfect occasion he had been waiting for to accost her.

"Scarlet?" he asked, trying not to lose his nerve. The girl in question looked up at him, her eyebrows creased in confusion. In the past they had spoken for convenience – being in the same house and the same year meant they saw each other a lot. Their friendship had sprouted from this mutual closeness and shared friends. Even then, they mostly spoke at meals or during the classes they shared. It was unusual for him to talk to her during their free moments in the Common Room.

"Er. Yeah?" she said, motioning for Kai to sit next to her.

He lowered his voice, eyes darting around the space, "I have something important to talk to you about," he said, placing a silencing charm around them.

Scarlet seemed to realize the gravity of the situation, and she shifted uncomfortably. When he didn't continue, she asked, a bit impatient, "Well? What is it?"

Running a hand through his hair, Kai tried to think of the best way to approach the topic. "Alright. It has to do with Levana." Noticing the way her eyes widened, he pressed on. "Can I trust you not to tell anyone? I'm serious, this has to stay a complete secret."

Her mouth opened and then closed again before she nodded.

"I'm looking for Selene Blackburn," he blurted, unable to find any other way to go about it. "And before you say anything –"

"So am I."

He stared, only vaguely aware of the way he was gaping at her. After a few beats of stunned silence, he found something to say. "Really?"

"Really," she breathed, looking about as shocked as he did. Kai let out a surprised huff, and again ruffled his hair. Not once had this possibility crossed his mind. Though, it did make things much easier.

"Well, I'm close to finding her. But I need your help." At her raised her raised eyebrows, he continued. "We tracked her to your grandmother's orphanage for witches and wizards."

Her brows lifted. "We?"

"Nainsi and I did the research. Anyways – I need to ask your grandmother about her, but I figured you were the easiest way. You don't mind asking her for me, do you?" he asked, cracking his _most_ charming smile. He couldn't afford to have her say no, however much he doubted it at this point.

"I don't mind, per say, but I want to help you find her. I want to know everything. Or rather, _we_ want to know everything." His smile dropped as he narrowed his eyes at her. "I kind of assembled a – for lack of a better word – team of sorts. A team of people all dedicated to defeating Levana. All of them students."

He gazed at her skeptically. "A team?" he drawled, unable to hide his doubts. Her stern, cold look convinced him to ask, "Of whom?"

"How about we all meet up later? Us and you and Nainsi. Then you guys can tell us everything and I'll write the letter."

His eyebrows remained raised. "Uh, sure. Meet us in the 7th seventh floor corridor. I know a place we can go," he said.

And meet they did. Kai had to harass Nainsi into going – as she apparently didn't trust the situation, despite being the one to hassle Kai into asking Scarlet in the first place. Kai and Nainsi waited in the Room of Requirement hallway after curfew, Nainsi incessantly sharing all of her worries about Scarlet's alleged "team." Eventually he grew tired of protesting against her, and blocked her out. In truth, she had succeeded in making _him_ worry about Scarlet's vigilante group. Why hadn't Scarlet just owled her grandmother, rather than enlisting the help of her "team?"

Soon the sounds of Nainsi's nagging joined with more voices from down the hall. He could only assume it was Scarlet and her friends. He was shocked to find who it was she'd assembled – Thorne, Wolf, and Cinder. Well, Wolf he could understand, considering their relationship, but Thorne? Thorne had never protested about a Muggle-born issue in his life, Kai was sure. And _Cinder_? His Cinder? As in the girl he'd been slightly enamored with for quite a while now?

"C-Cinder?" he stuttered, his ears growing hot.

As Cinder blushed and smiled at him, Thorne turned to his other companions with a cocky grin. "See, I told you," he said. Cinder, in turn, elbowed him and rolled her eyes.

"Alright, Kai, were you just planning on having us stand in this corridor all day or what?" Scarlet demanded, smirking a bit. Kai found himself flushing further and forced himself to look at the girl addressing him.

"Right, uh," he started, before he decided there was no subtle way to go about it. Pacing in front of the wall, he ignored their confused looks. Three paces, with only this thought going through his head – _I need a place to talk_. The wall soon turned into a large door. If that hadn't already shocked everyone behind him, the lounge they entered certainly had.

His companions filed in behind him, settling onto the seats around the fire. Nainsi began speaking as soon as they quieted down, starting abruptly relaying the information she and Kai had gathered, from the newspaper to the orphanage of Scarlet's grandmother. The rest of the students remained mostly silent, except for shocked gasps or Thorne's dramatics.

When Nainsi was finished, Scarlet was the first to break the silence that followed the reveals. "So you think Selene was adopted by a Muggle family after Logan Tanner gave her to my grandmother?" At Kai's nod, she pressed on. "I'm not sure if I agree – I mean, yes, all the information points to this. But I don't even remember a Logan Tanner or a Selene… And I _live_ with her."

Kai found himself raising an eyebrow. "You were _four years old_ ," he stated dryly, somehow just managing not to roll his eyes. Scarlet's answering glower made him proud of this demonstration of self-control.

Though she opened her mouth to no doubt scathingly reply, someone else began to speak before her. "Either way, Scarlet, it's worth a try," said Cinder thoughtfully, using a hand to play with her hair, "this is the only lead we have." Shooting her a smile, Kai inwardly sent his thanks. If Scarlet didn't write the letter, they would never get any closer to finding Selene.

A grunt came from Scarlet. "Fine," she bit out moodily. "I'll write to her." With this statement, she grabbed her bag and strutted – truly it was more of a stomp – out of the room, Wolf trailing in her wake, giving a sort of apologetic smile. Thorne left as well, claiming he had "work" to do – though Kai knew from experience that Thorne rarely ever did schoolwork. Nainsi then retreated, tossing a stern look in Kai's direction and demanding that he make absolutely sure Scarlet wrote the letter, thus leaving Cinder and Kai alone.

"So…" she started, causally making her way over to him.

"So…" he repeated dully, unintelligently rooted to his spot as she waltzed nearer.

Suddenly her steps stopped dead in their tracks. She bit her lip, seemingly mulling something over. "I-I have a question," she stuttered after a moment of indecision. "Don't take this the wrong way but – are you and Nainsi… _involved_?"

At this, Kai choked out a laugh. "What? Nainsi and I? Not at all. She's like a sister to me!" Cinder sagged with relief. "Why would you even think so?" he asked, peering at her curiously.

Those brown eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "Well, uh," she stammered, "I kinda saw you guys at Hogsmeade together," blurted Cinder. Shocked words at the tip of his tongue, Kai almost said something before she hastily continued. "But that doesn't matter now." She smiled up at him.

He returned the smile and offered his arm. "Walk with me back to my Common Room?" he asked as charmingly as he could manage. Her cheeks stained rose in acceptance.

Unlike how they had in every conversation following the attack, they for once did not flit over the topic of Levana as they travelled to the Common Room. All they really spoke about was how terrifying she was and how great it was to have almost found Selene. Yet Kai wished they could talk about it forever, because despite the impact Levana had on the community, people rarely spoke about her. It was too easy to hold conversations with Cinder – every moment with her felt real and authentic. But there was only _so much_ space between the Room of Requirement and their destination.

* * *

Cinder walked back to her own Common Room alone, her attention span dangerously low after her conversation with Kai. Her legs floated from the 7th floor to the dungeons, only scuffed, short sounds diverting her from her thoughts. No one, obviously, came up to speak to her, but she had a distinct, telling inkling that eyes were following her. Of course, the feeling was pushed away as another passing but encompassing thought of Kai again distracted her.

Only a corridor away form the Slytherin dungeons, muffled noises came to her and a pause stopped her daydreams. Masculine voices muttered forcefully to one another, but the sounds were too low to be deciphered into language. Previously she had thought she heard footsteps, but she couldn't have been the only person out after curfew, could she?

Her eyes scanned the hallway, failing to find anyone, in spite of the voices coming from somewhere around her. They stopped abruptly, leaving only the sound of her confused breathing as her gaze darted around. "Hello?" she asked, vainly hoping the stalkers would show themselves. No answer followed.

"Is anyone there?" she demanded again, quickly abandoning her confusion for anger as she leaned tiredly on her cane. "It's not actually considered polite to _follow_ unsuspecting people!" Cinder shouted, "especially girls with canes!"

Once more, no one responded. Grumbling, she made to continue on her walk, now more on edge than before.

Suddenly hands reached out, attached to black-cloaked bodies that seemed to manifest from the thick air surrounding her. They grabbed her, pulled on her flesh, leaving areas that would surely bruise. A woolen bag was placed onto her head. Panic coursed through her as she began to yell for help but another rough hand covered her mouth through the fabric.

"Don't. Speak," said a voice, one of the masculine voices she heard before. Even in their close proximity, she failed to place it. "Or you're dead."

Cinder thrashed as well as she could with a too-short leg. Her cane was her greatest weapon, and she utilized it by bashing her captors with it. The hands got tighter and an arm slipped freely around her waist. Her good leg kicked into someone's knee. He grunted.

" _Stupefy_ ," was the last thing she heard before she floated out of consciousness, all dread drifting from her as she entered a _deep_ trance.


	6. Of Nieces and Aunts (Part 1)

**AN: Another short update, but I don't have a lot of time. The next part should be longer, and action packed. I'm still on vacation, though, so it may be a while.**

* * *

Chapter 6

 _Of Nieces and Aunts_

 _ **(Part 1)**_

* * *

She had no idea where she was.

It was a dark, cold room. Water dripped around her, a constant dropping, colliding sound. The only reason she knew the time of day was because of the silver faced moon staring at her through the small window near the ceiling. She would have tried getting up, but she could not find her cane anywhere. If she couldn't walk, there was no way she would be able to climb. Form what she could see with the moonlight, the room had uncovered walls, and was entirely bare, barring a door.

Her memories were few, but she knew that two males had captured her. They must have taken her wand and her cane. Hope was slim and put mostly into the idea that she was still at Hogwarts Castle, just somewhere very remote. This drained ever so often when she looked at the smiling moon, which brought her thoughts to another possibility – Lunars. Perhaps Levana hadn't forgotten about her disrespect at Hogsmeade.

Maybe Levana would drive her mad with the Cruciatus curse, leave her a bubbling mess of giggles, confused by the sight of her own reflection. Or Maybe Levana would meticulously torture her, pick every single hair from its follicle, rip the skin from every single pore, and pull every single limb from its socket. Maybe Levana would even burn her, let flames destroy her every cell, roast her like a meal for dinner.

Fear itched at her. Every moment was spent regretting walking to the Common Room alone. Cinder fell into a restless, panicky sleep, dreaming of starving infernos and shiny, gray moons. The wood beneath her left her splintered with every toss and turn and – not for the first time – Kai's screams sounded like a lullaby to her desperate ears.

* * *

Breakfast was usually a quiet, simple affair. It was the perfect time for students to dwell in their cranky, sleep-clouded moods, to politely speak to your friends, and to scribble down responses for the homework they hadn't finished. There was usually no commotion or loud noise at breakfast – no one ever had the energy.

Thus, when Scarlet Benoit entered the Great Hall in a fluster of red hair and unkempt uniform, she drew eyes. Actually, she drew _all_ the eyes. Every professor, every Gryffindor, every Hufflepuff, every Ravenclaw, every Slytherin, and even the eyes of the headmaster found themselves pinned to her. Most were sideway looks and annoyed faces, a few were amused, and some were just plain confused.

Luckily, Scarlet Benoit had never been the type of person to be bothered by trivial things such as glares. In fact, her first action was to run straight to the Gryffindor table and plop down right beside Kai, who was one of the people who adorned a confused face. She locked eyes with three people around the room – Nainsi (confused), Wolf (amused), and Thorne (annoyed). It was a challenging look – one that said she had something important to tell them.

Her gaze frantically searched the Slytherin table (filled with nearly all irritated faces) for Cinder. The girl was nowhere in sight.

"Thorne!" she shouted when he sat down, only lowing her voice for fear of being overheard. "Have you seen Cinder?"

Thorne rolled his eyes. "Salazar. Could you be anymore rude? First you disturb the peace, and then you call me over here – and for what? _Cinder_?" He scoffed. "Who I, before you murder me with that glare, have _not_ seen since last night, though I think she's mad 'cause I left her to walk alone."

A sigh escaped her. "My grandmother wrote back." She waved the letter in the air. "I haven't read it yet, though."

Nainsi gasped. "Well?" She remained serious, something Scarlet was grateful for. Her urgent wave of a hand indicated to Scarlet to read the letter, an eager look falling on most of her companions.

 _Cher Scarlet,_ it read.

 _I'm not going to waste time with preamble, because you seem to be taking this very seriously. In regards to your previous letter about the missing Blackburn heir Selene – yes, I did have her at the orphanage for a very short period of time. I've kept this information from you for years because I was afraid you were not mature enough to handle the information. I regret my thinking, but I had thought maybe you would not grasp the importance, and Selene is much too valuable for that._

 _When she was three years old, a Muggle family adopted Selene. From there I do not know anything about her whereabouts. I know that the squib man who took the girl in, knowingly, of course, did not tell his family about her being a witch, and was planning on raising her as a Muggle-born until Hogwarts. He knew of her importance, and thought it would be wise to keep her unknowing. The family's last name was Linh._

 _I'm assuming she was enrolled into Hogwarts, as long as the Linhs did not move outside of England or chose to bring her to another magical school. Which means you should know her. If you plan of telling her about her heritage, do be gentle. I'm proud that you are taking a stand against Levana for Muggle-borns, Scarlet._

 _Love,_

 _Grandmère_

Once the knowledge dawned on each of them with shocked expressions, a hush encased them for a moment. A sixteen-year-old witch, who went to Hogwarts, last name Linh. Selene. Selene the key to the war, the end of their suffering. Her mind searched every sixth year she knew. The name chanted in her ears – _Linh, Linh, Linh_ – begging to be connected to a face, or to at least a first name.

A glance around her gave the answer. The only one who was missing from their ranks that morning was Cinder. Cinder _Linh_. Sixth year witch. Muggle-born – or so she thought. Cinder Linh, otherwise known as Selene Blackburn.

Equal frowns appeared on their faces and they turned to each other, the obvious train of thought present in their minds as well as expression.

"Cinder is Selene?" Kai was the first to break the silence. Copper brown eyes were opened wide. "Merlin, this is…" He stopped his statement to look around the Great Hall again, his eyes resting on the Slytherin table. "You sure you haven't seen her, Thorne?"

Visibly, Thorne's Adam's apple bobbed in his throat. "No…Like I said. Not since last night." Suddenly his eyes narrowed. "Shouldn't _you_ know?"

Kai's mouth opened and closed. A blue haired girl passed by them; her Ravenclaw tie gleamed under her baffled looking expression, saved the trouble of responding for him. "Kai – have you seen Cinder? Usually she'd be up by now…"

"Iko – you don't know where she is? At all?"

"No. And she wasn't where we meet up in the mornings. _And_ I checked the Hospital Wing. She wasn't there either."

They all stared at each other, digesting the information. Their one key to defeating Levana was missing. No one had seen her. There was a small chance she was still in her dorm, but Kai said she never stayed there for very long.

Thorne was the first one to speak. "I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but it's possible that she's not here. At all," he said, not in the least gentle, despite Cinder being one of his close friends. "What if we're not the only ones who figured it out?"

This brought more silence to the table.

Thorne pressed on. "You guys met Levana only a few weeks ago. Surely Cinder resembles her mother even a little bit." Scarlet stared, watching as the rest of her friends' eyes widened with comprehension on Thorne's implication. "There's a chance _she_ knows."

* * *

Scuffling sounds awoke her from her nightmare, in which she could dream only of a night that stretched on for centuries, stars endless and suffocating. The darkness of the room was no better, and approaching footsteps curled nerves in her stomach. Her captors were coming? Or was she was being rescued from this terrible, freezing room? Shivers racked through her as she waited, the moments dragging on forever.

The who entered was a woman, who covered her face with a white veil, presumably so Cinder would not know who she was. She stalked closer and closer, as fear swirled within Cinder. A foreboding feeling was telling her exactly who the woman was, and it only served to terrify her. The very same feeling she had gotten the last time she had been captured, starting in the pit of her gut.

Her woman lowered her head down to Cinder. Through the veil, Cinder could see a set of ruby, red lips, colored so vividly it somehow reminded Cinder of blood.

"My illustrious niece," a familiar, saccharine sweet voice tinkled – a voice that appeared quite commonly in her worst dreams, chanting over and over again the incantation of the Cruciatus Curse.

 _Levana._

"How very nice it is to see you again." Then, almost as an afterthought, a bout of twinkling, bell-like laughter. Despite it's beautiful sound, it horrified Cinder. What did she mean by "niece?" She didn't have an aunt, and even if she did, it would not be _Levana_.

The lips grinned. "What? You have nothing to say? Or do you not recognize me?" Laughter sounded again. "Hm. ' _Mudblood_.' Do you recognize that?"

When Cinder did not respond verbally – instead by setting her jaw and looking away – she felt hand slap her face, leaving behind a red-hot imprint. "Perhaps _that_ will jog your memory," said Levana, her voice this time betraying a little bit of anger at Cinder's stubborn ignorance. Cinder found herself smirking at this, in spite of herself.

"My insolent niece. Today you will pay – not only for your disrespect – but also for the wrong doings of your mother. Today you will pay the price for being born, just as I had at the hands of _beloved_ Channary. And after I torture you, I'm going to kill you, once and for all. And there is nothing you, or anyone else, can do about it."

Cinder swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling as panic tore apart her insides. "I – I don't – Channary is not my mother. I don't have a family. I'm Muggleborn," she stuttered out.

"No. I had thought you looked familiar at first – but my spy figured it out for me," said Levana, voice tight and even. "You're a Blackburn – but not for very long."

The very same incantation that haunted Cinder's nights was the last thing she heard before the only thing she knew – could grasp – was pain. Utter, indescribable pain.


	7. Of Nieces and Aunts (Part 2)

**AN: I had fun writing this? This is one of the more dramatic chapters. I love the intensity, even though I'm terrible at action scenes. This chapter is so long, also! I'm very proud of it.**

* * *

Chapter 6

 _Of Nieces and Aunts_

 _ **(Part 2)**_

* * *

Dearest Winter Hayle Blackburn sat at the Ravenclaw table, somewhat amusedly observing the curiously mismatched crowd of students who had assembled at Gryffindor, apparently enraptured by their intense conversation. It was not a group anyone would particularly expect to see together – laughter threatened to bubble within her at the peculiarity but the urge was stomped on when she noticed their grave expressions. They were speaking over a piece of parchment and Winter thought that maybe it had delivered some _very_ troubling news.

Sighing, she kept an eye on them as she moved the food around on her plate. Lately she found she did not have much of an appetite, with Jacin having disappeared and hallucinations running rampant, she had taken to watching her peers interact. It was much more interesting that pretending to eat and distracted her from the terrifying cracked glass that was her reality. Everything was twisted and multiplied in a kaleidoscope, and she had to blink a few times to find the real world.

Watching other people also distracted her from thinking about Jacin, who had been stolen into the life of a Lunar, and was off doing "missions" nearly every week now. Not knowing where he was gave her a sense of increasing paranoia. Without him, it was ten times harder to snap out of an illusion in a world full of delirium.

She carefully adjusted so her mane of black curls covered the three, running scars on her face, inflicted by her stepmother. The same day those wounds appeared, her stepmother had used a curse on her, sickening her mind, destroying it with every passing second. She was losing her brain to hallucinations, and it was all her jealous stepmothers fault.

A flash of blue snakes entered into the kaleidoscope's range, a colored blur moving frantically. They snapped and snapped, fangs barred and ready to kill. It took Winter a few moments to realize it was actually a head of hair, and a few more to shake the vision completely. Iko, a Ravenclaw friend of hers, had joined the weird group of students at the Gryffindor table. Nearly comical distressed looks overtook their faces.

An urge to speak to them passed over her. They looked as if they were in need of some assistance. Before she could understand why, she was making her way to them, her hair bouncing as she skipped over. A grin split across her face at their bewildered looks when she reached.

"You guys look as if you need some help." Her smile spread further.

Instantly, the redheaded girl coincidentally named Scarlet's expression turned dark. "What do _you_ want?" she demanded, her tone uninviting.

Winter could think nothing other than the inferno atop Scarlet's head. "You're hair is like fire," Winter said, mystified. Scarlet resembled like a burning candle, flames whooshing as she turned her head. The girl's brown eyes narrowed

"Winter could help us," said Wolf abruptly. His eyes widened with meaning. "Winter Hayle _Blackburn_." The emphasis was clear – they had to have been referring to her relation to the famous wizarding family and even more famous witch, Levana, who was most likely wreaking havoc on the world as they spoke. Her stepmother.

Heat rushed to her face as the others nodded in comprehension. It was Iko who decided to speak first. "Wait – you think Lunars kidnapped Cinder? Why?" When no one responded, other than to share telling looks, she pressed on. "Someone better say something! This is my best friend we're talking about and if –"

"Fine," said Head Boy Kai. "We'll tell you. But you have to swear your secrecy." Rising from the table, he gave them an expectant expression. "Let's go."

* * *

The next time Cinder woke up, she found herself tied to the wall. Ropes around her wrists and ankle, which was making her left wrist feel a significant amount of pain – yet this pain was nothing compared to the torture she had been through the night before. For a moment she had thought her mind was going to burst and she would be put out of her misery. But it never did, and she had to suffer through the agony. Her entire body was sore, and it made her somewhat glad she couldn't move. Even the slightest tug on her bonds made her ache.

There was no doubt about it now – Lunars had captured her. But the reason Levana had decided to see her out only served to confuse her more. Levana seemed to think she was her niece, the daughter of Channary Blackburn – but she _knew_ she was Muggleborn. And Selene Blackburn was supposedly _dead_. None of it made sense, but Levana seemed to think it was true. If she didn't find a way out soon, she would die. The feeling of impending death was distinctive. Relying on the hope of being rescued would be futile. In a couple of days she would be dead and there was not a person who knew where she was. Possibly if someone at Hogwarts noticed her disappearance…

Whatever. It couldn't make a difference. Escape, or die. The choice was simple. The only real question was how? Being tied up complicated things. Earlier she could have maybe found a way to best Levana physically – though her limp would have made it a bit difficult – but now she would have to wait for a prime moment.

The sound of approaching footsteps halted her planning. Though no lights were on, she could make out the man walking toward her had long, blond hair and had the same expression one would expect a stone wall would have.

"Eat," said his monotonous voice. Recognition floated past her instantly. He was one of the men who had kidnapped her form the castle. It was difficult to move, but she struggled none the least against his form, trying in vain to inflict pain upon her captor. Even in the darkness, she could see his eye roll very clearly.

"Fighting against me won't help you." Maybe, but it was worth a shot, thought Cinder. "You're going to need strength for what Levana is planning to do to you tonight. So eat."

This gave Cinder pause. "What? What is she going to do?"

The man did not reply.

* * *

Kai paced the length of the Room of Requirement, each of his steps echoing in the silence. Having just told the new batch of companions they had just learned of Cinder's actual identity, they wallowed in the wake of the news' impact. It was likely Cinder was captured. And if Levana did, in fact, know that Cinder was the lost Selene, then she would waste no time in killing her. Or torturing her. Or torturing her _and_ killing her.

The thought made him feel sick.

"I just can't believe this," said Iko, in a tone that conveyed her shock nearly as well as her words. "Cinder is Selene, as well as captured by _Lunars_? How are we going to save her?"

None could give her the answer she wanted. The nerves in Kai's stomach twisted and turned in the quiet. Cinder could be dying as they spoke. There was no time to waste. There was no room for being idle when her life was at stake. Especially when she was the only person on the planet who could save them all.

"I can get you inside Blackburn Manor," said Winter abruptly. "I can buy you time with my stepmother – I don't know how much, but I can." She paused, rising from her seat. "But we'll need a plan."

"How do we know you're not a Lunar?" Thorne's eyebrows were raised in suspicion. "You could be working for _them_."

A sad smile started on the edge of her lips. "Selene is my cousin. My friend. I want to help her." Resolve hardened her stance. "I can't loose her. Not again."

There was a multitude of things to plan, but they did not have a lot of time. Nor did they have a lot of resources. Their best bet would be to move as fast as possible – it would be safer for both theirs and Cinder's survival. They would have to split up – Kai and Nainsi, Wolf and Scarlet, and Throne and Winter. Iko would stay at the castle and divert attention from the missing students. According to Winter, it was likely they would be holding Cinder in the dungeon on the bottommost floor, but she could only inconspicuously Floo them into her bedroom.

Throne and Winter's job would be to distract, causing a disruption on the top floor of the mansion to bring any threats away from the dungeons. Wolf and Scarlet, they decided, were their best fighters (Scarlet had an intensive knowledge of Muggle weapons, and a gun hidden away in her dorm, and Wolf for the obvious reasons). And Kai and Nainsi were to actually _find_ Cinder as all of this happened.

As stealthy as they could be in a group of six students, they crept up towards Ravenclaw tower to Floo to the manor. The halls were mostly cleared, due to the fact that most students were in class.

"Almost there…" Winter whispered.

Kai's eyes wandered around the corridor. They caught on a shadow a little of the way behind them. His legs froze. The entire group stopped short at this abrupt display. Eyes narrowed and straining, he tried to listen as closely as possible. The shadow shifted. There was a creaking noise.

"Who's there?"

Only the sound of his breathing followed.

He asked again. " _Who's there_?"

This time, the person sighed, the shadow's body visibly exhaling. They moved out from behind the wall – a mass of blonde hair, encompassing the body of a tiny little girl he had seen only a few times during his Hogwarts career, only recognizable because of the unruly mess of golden tangles. She was biting her lip, looking dreadful.

"Who are you?" he questioned, at the same time a grin began to spread on Winter's face.

"That's the spy," she stage whispered, her grin mischievous. Redness bloomed on the face of the girl – _the spy_. Her blue eyes were travelling everywhere in desperation. But she didn't refute the claim.

Reluctantly, her head bobbed. "Yes. I'm the Lunar spy. And this is all _my_ fault." Kai felt like he agreed with her, but she pressed on. "But I want to help save Cinder – or Selene." Her eyes widened with meaning at the mention of Cinder's true identity.

Kai's eyes narrowed. Again, Thorne voiced the concerns appearing in Kai's head as well. "How can we trust you?"

The girl seemed to think this over. "If they catch me there, they'll kill me. And I'm willing to risk that," she said, sincerity clear in her tone. Kai still wasn't sure, but he knew time was drifting away from them as they spoke there.

"Okay. We'll tell you the plan on the way."

His legs were already moving again when Nainsi began to speak. "No, it's too many people. We're already conspicuous enough…" Kai could see the calculations forming in her mind. "I'll stay here. Cover for the rest of you guys with Iko."

Kai thought about arguing, but the ticking clock forced him to move on.

* * *

Winter's bedroom was like a palace within itself. Snow-white drapes, ones that might have belonged to a retired ghost who now spent the days staring out from the border of a window. Snow-white rugs, their fuzz looking soft and touchable. Snow-white wood, polished and shining like actual snow in the sun. Snow-white bed sheets, arranged perfectly atop the bed in a meticulous fashion. And, atop those, laid a snow-white wolf, eyes glaring daggers at the group of teens who had just appeared in the fireplace with a flash of vibrant green flame.

The manor was utterly silent when they arrived. The fear of being heard quelled their heavy breathing. Adrenaline was coursing in their blood – it was find Cinder, or die. Find the girl worth dying for. Find the girl worth risking everything over.

With a meaningful look towards the doorway, Winter sent Kai off, who they had decided would find Cinder alone. He only needed instructions, which were to "go as far down as possible." Scarlet and Wolf slipped away after him to attack some of the more prominent Lunars waiting in the mansion, leaving Throne, Cress, and Winter to cause their diversion.

They muttered to each other, somewhat furiously, about what to do. They needed to buy Kai the precious time he required to get Cinder and return to Winter's bedroom. The chances of everything going smoothing were slim to none. It occurred to Thorne that this was possibly a suicide mission. It occurred to Thorne that they may not make it out alive.

They decided to do the simplest thing possible – make noise. Waiting until they were sure their companions were far enough away to be safe, Thorne cast a spell that would play music in all the halls. Or, not so much as music but noise. Just loud, brash noise.

But they didn't have the time to so much as leave Winter's room – or even calm the growls of the wolf on the bed. A woman Apparated into the room within seconds of the spell's casting. Before Thorne knew what was happening, Winter had grabbed his arms behind his back and was roughly pushing him onto one of her bedrooms' walls.

"Mistress Sybil!" squeaked Cress, the spy. "We found this intruder here!"

The woman's eyebrows rose sharply in what Thorne assumed was disbelief. He could only accredit this to Cress' shrill and unconvincing tone. "Oh, really," Sybil drawled. "And what are you girls doing here? You should be at Hogwarts – _especially_ you, Crescent." She adjusted her crimson colored cloak, embroidered with golden runes. On the chest stood the Lunar crest, a silver-faced full moon.

"I have half a mind to punish you," the Lunar continued. Thorne felt Winter exhale deeply. "But I think instead I'll just bring you to our master. I think she'll be pleased to meet the spy who found her dear _niece_. And to _take care_ of this intruder." The emphasis on the "take care" shot a tendril of nerves to curl in his stomach.

Her lips curled into a grip. "And you can come watch…Winter."

Next, the incantation of a curse was the last thing he heard before darkness enveloped him, leaving him trapped in a meaningless void.

"Better if he doesn't see anything too…" She appeared to be testing the word on her lips. " _Incriminating_."

* * *

The hallways of the manor were fine crafted and covered with portraits of deceased Blackburn members. In between of each moving photograph was a gleaming silvery moon, which seemed to glint off of the light. The pictures were profoundly creepy, as well. The disapproving, contact induced purple eyes of the late Jannali Blackburn followed Scarlet's back as she walked.

Channary Blackburn's unnerving smile spread into grin once they locked eyes. The photo next to Channary's made Scarlet's heart freeze. Curving, winding letters spelled " _Selene Channary Jannali Blackburn_ " under a portrait of a three-year-old child, with huge brown eyes and dark, messy hair. The toddler was laughing herself silly.

Presumed dead.

But Scarlet knew that the real Selene was trapped in a dungeon as they walked, possibly inches away from death. And it was up to them to safe her.

Before she even knew what she was doing, she ran up to Selene's photo, ignoring the horrified look she was getting from Channary Blackburn. The baby was still laughing when she removed the picture from the wall and gently placed it on the ground. Tirades erupted from the other photographs as Selene's giggles seemed to amplify. With her wand, Scarlet used a shocking red, in comparison to the white wood of the wall, to write in screaming letters, "SHE'S NOT DEAD."

Then, silence. The rants abruptly finished as Scarlet stepped back to admire her work. The other portraits' mouths began to lift up in a smile at the baby's giggles. The last deceased member of the Blackburn house, Evert Hayle, whose guard uniform gleamed in the dim lighting of the portrait hall, shot her a tight-lipped smile and tipped his head when she passed by.

The rest of the walls were covered with the Lunar crest, which always gave her a sense of impending danger. Voices lifted off the walls towards her. They were coming across the dinning room. She could just catch an array of red-cloaked Lunars sitting at the table, discussing in brusque, even tones. The gold on their robes glinted. Thaumaturges. The most important and _brutal_ Lunars.

It was here they had to be the most careful.

A whispered incantation from Wolf caused a liquid-esque feeling to leak down into her neck, dripping until it was in each one of her toes. The disillusionment charm caused them to mirror whatever was behind them. Only if someone looked very closely they could see their forms.

But the timing was all off. At that exact second, music began to play in the hallway, which she guessed was the work of Thorne, stopping the thaumaturges' conversation. Levana was sitting at the head at the table, looking serene and ethereally beautiful. Without ever opening her eyes, she motioned for the thaumaturges to go. Most of them Disapparated out. A few wandered away into the hallway, where Scarlet and Wolf stood frozen as they filtered out.

Three of them passed by, oblivious. But the fourth seemed to know better. He stared at their forms, as if trying to determine if what he saw was really two people and not the wall.

Suddenly he chuckled – surprisingly warm – and cast the counter charm. Scarlet and Wolf slowly faded back into vision. Plans raced in her mind, trying to form, to no avail. There was no way out of this situation. If they ran they risked running into another thaumaturge and if they stayed they risked death at the hands of this one.

"Wait," he said, his laughter pausing. "You're the Kelsey boy, aren't you?"

Wolf grunted, causing the Lunar to erupt into a bout of hilarity.

"We've been trying to recruit you for weeks. Nice of you to finally show." Scarlet's eyes widened. Wolf had never told her that. Why did the Lunars want him? What did it have to do with his family? Her stare bored into his back, but if he noticed he did not show it. Nor did he turn around.

"And nice of you to bring us some meat." The eyes of the Lunar roomed over her form. Whether it was in appreciation or blood thirst she did not know. "Scarlet Benoit. Half-blood. Correct?" His smile proved that did not need her confirmation to know he was right.

He continued. "How about you prove your allegiance right now, Kelsey?" A peculiar darkness flitted over his features. Wolf did not answer his question. The thaumaturge grinned, the smile this time unnerving rather than his previous warmth. "Alright. I'll help you out – Imperio."

Wolf's demeanor changed abruptly. His back hunched, his teeth bared, his fingers stretched. Scarlet knew the thaumaturge now held control over him. Eying Wolf's muscular shape and hugeness, a tinge of fear pricked within her. What would the Lunar make him do?

"You see, _Scarlet_." The emphasis sent a chill down her back. "I have always had a strange liking for the wolf. Their movements. Their tactics. Their hierarchy." His mouth spread into a warm grin once more.

"Kelsey – Kill her. Like a wolf would."

Wolf's back rolled. A howl ripped itself from him. Bright green eyes turned on her, narrowed to slits. There was something different about them. Something vividly feral awoken within them. Something dangerous.

Something murderous.

* * *

 _Down._

 _Just keep travelling down._

These thoughts echoed in his head, a backdrop to the music floating in the halls. The fast beat seemed to match his pounding heart. Surprisingly, it calmed him down, soothing the adrenaline he felt in his veins. His legs stomped down the endless stairs, in his fastest pace. This was the last flight. The floor he stepped on was enveloped in darkness.

He strained to listen for any sounds, but he could not hear anything other than his own breathing. This had to be the dungeon. It was the farthest down he could possibly go.

A faint scream came from somewhere upstairs. The howl from moments before replayed in his head, sending a prickle of chills down his back. The others were in danger. Which meant he had to move impossibly faster. He had to find Cinder so they could help the others and return to the safety of Hogwarts castle. And then reinstate Cinder's place as the Blackburn heir of ancient and dangerous artifacts.

There were three different doors. One of them held Cinder.

Another scream. It was the same voice. He thought maybe it sounded like Scarlet.

"Cinder?" his urgency leaked into his voice. Lunars were all over the upper floors, possibly within hearing range. But he had to risk it. They were too close now to give up. He just hoped Scarlet could hold on for longer. "Cinder!" he shouted into the darkness.

There was a gasp. Hope exploded within him. "K-Kai?"

"Yes! It's me, Cinder!"

"I'm in here! Where are you?"

The voice was coming from the last door down the hall. He ran to it, knowing they were running out of time. Someone was going to check on their favorite prisoner soon. He used his wand to break the door.

Breath caught in his throat at the sight. There was Cinder tried up on the wall, face bruised and dirty. Imagining the torture Levana must have put her through caused a disgusted feeling to unfurl in his stomach. The spell he used couldn't untie her fast enough.

Unceremoniously, she fell from the wall and into him, rubbing her joints and cracking her bones. The seconds were flying past as he hugged her, whispering it was going to be okay, even though he was not entirely sure.

"I thought I was going to die," she admitted, looking up at him through the mess of hair in her face. Even in the dark he could see the tears welling in her eyes. Time stopped, their gazes caught on only each other. It was the worst moment possible, yet he felt himself lowering his head and doing what he'd wanted to do for a long time – kiss her. Kiss her with this backdrop of danger and death.

They stood like that, completely lost to the world, as time ran out around them.

A whooshing sounded in their oblivion. He broke away, the lost seconds tallying in his mind. Behind them stood the monster – her captor, her aunt. Levana's smirk hindered her usually beautiful features.

"Isn't this a sight?" she tittered, in that signature achingly sweet tone. "You thought you could break in _and_ take my _precious_ niece with you? She's been lost to us for so long – we have so much catching up to do. Who are you to deprive me of that valuable family bonding?"

"You were going to kill me," said Cinder in an even tone. "And I'm _not_ your family."

"You stubbornness is quite admirable. Perhaps I should take you to see your other friends my thaumaturges have gathered?"

They were not given the chance to answer. Levana was already reaching for them and the dungeon was bending and twisting out of view.

* * *

They Apparated onto the floor of the dinning room, manifesting in the middle of a battle in which the Lunars were dominating their ragtag group of students. Thorne was blindfolded and locked in a physical scuffle with one of the thaumaturges. It did not look like he was winning. The Lunar spy was there too, shouting her assistance as another Lunar – the one who had brought her food – protected her and Winter Hayle Blackburn from a particularly persistent thaumaturge. Scarlet was holding off Wolf's efforts to murder her and fighting with the Lunar controlling him all at once.

Cinder watched with horror plain on her features. They were all fighting to get _her_ out. She was not worth this.

"Kai," she said, relinquishing her hold on his hand. "Go help Scarlet. I have to fight her off on my own."

He looked skeptical, but as Scarlet screamed again when Wolf took a bite out of her arm, he had no choice but to run towards them. Cinder's hand ran through her mess of hair and threw it into a hasty ponytail. Her body was still achingly sore, and she didn't have a cane or a wand, but there was something empowering her. Was it the need to see Levana defeated? Or was it simply the urge to help her friends, who had done everything to help her?

She plucked a knife from the table and transfigured it into a cane. There's one problem solved. Nothing could be done about her soreness, but the pain coursing through her body was being battled by the adrenaline.

A wand soared through the air towards her – marginally she caught it. The blond haired Lunar had tossed it to her. "It's yours," he said, shooting a spell at the thaumaturge he was battling.

Levana turned towards her, pulling her near with a yank of Cinder's ponytail. "I'm going to kill you. Once and for all." She threw Cinder down to the floor. As a reflex, Cinder shot a hex to Levana. The woman screamed in fury when it hit her, and doubled over. A prideful grin spread on Cinder's face.

Levana threw a curse back, and Cinder felt something being painfully engraved on her shoulder blade. It was lovely Luna, colored in with blood.

Suddenly they were dueling, throwing spells at the speed of light, each trying to best the other. Cinder was nearly as strong magically as Levana was, somehow. Nearly every potentially damaging curse Levana sent her way was blocked. Not that Cinder could get a hit in, but she wasn't getting hurt, at least. Levana's anger mounted with every missed attack in comparison to Cinder's growing pride and confidence.

Before Cinder knew what was happing, the Cruciatius curse was barreling towards her. Pain exploded in every part of her body. Pure agony filled her scream. Her throat hurt with the force of it. With her previous soreness, she writhed on the ground, a blinding light behind her eyes. Vaguely she heard someone scream her name. And then the pain stopped, her mind teetering on the precarious threshold of being lost to insanity forever.

When she found the strength to open her eyes again, all the fighting around her had frozen in the wake of her scream. And, in front of her, a grin on the mouth of her worst enemy. Anger awoke within her at the smile, replacing the disorientation. A spell hurled itself from her wand, incantation-less. The force pushed Levana over to the ground.

The fury on Levana's face was almost worth it. There was no time to relish, however, because erupting from Levana's wand was a peculiar type of monster. A dragon made of flames. It roared, its blazing breath reaching just inches from her face. The fiery beast's tongue licked the ceiling of the dinning hall.

Cinder knew what it was. Fiendfyre – a nearly sentient version of inferno, capable of seeking out life and destroying it. It was inextinguishable by anyone other than the caster, and even then, they could loose control.

There was someone behind her in seconds. The Fiendfyre had already taken half the room aflame, in the few seconds since its birth – Levana's grin was blinding. The person pulled at her limp form, lost in admiration for the blaze.

"Cinder! We have to move. _Now_." Kai's voice reflected his urgency as he tugged her forward. The door was not far off. Her legs ran, understanding the situation better than she did. The dragon was hot on their tails, engulfing the rest of the room as it chased them. Cinder could only think fast enough to shoot spells over her shoulder, knowing they would only distract the Fiendfyre, not stop it completely.

It was a race again the fire and time and death.

Their friends were cheering them on from the doorway, voices nearly as loud as the sound of Levana's giggles and the cracking of burning wood. Her paced quickened with their encouragement. _Get to the door. Get to safety. Once you get to the door, you will be safe,_ became of a chant in her head pushing her past the pain.

When she and Kai passed through the threshold, the blonde Lunar slammed the door behind them. Her lungs screamed in the sudden silence. All of them were sliding down to the floor, their pants slowly shortening into normal breaths. And, unexpectedly, Winter began to laugh, her entire face lighting up with the action. Bright and beautiful. Enticing and inviting. Before Cinder knew what was happening, they were _all_ _laughing_ – out of relief? Out of dwindling adrenaline?

Abruptly, there was a shriek from the inside of the dining room interrupting their chuckles. But all of the Lunars had Apparated away from the Fiendfyre right after its inception. Except for…Levana. There was no one else it could be.

"We should get going," said Wolf, looking grave in comparison to his previous smile.

Reluctantly, Cinder stood, with the help of Kai and her cane. Her soreness was returning, and in full force. Each step caused a burst of pain everywhere. To distract herself she listened to their poorly constructed plan, and the many ways in which it had fallen apart.

The hallway they were passing through entailed portraits of the late Blackburn members. There was something peculiar about this wall, though, because one of the photographs had been taken down, in its place the shockingly red words – "SHE'S NOT DEAD."

Beneath the letters, read the name of the person who was apparently not yet deceased. Selene Channary Jannali Blackburn. The very girl they had been trying to find. The very girl Levana had claimed _she_ was.

"Wait," she said, calculations forming madly in her head. "You found her. You found Selene, haven't you?"

They all seemed to stop, and Kai squeezed her hand. There was something they hadn't told her. Little Selene Blackburn's portrait was propped on the wall. The toddler was staring, open mouthed at her. As if she recognized her. She had tan skin. Big, innocent, brown eyes. Messy, brown hair.

"Cinder…" started Scarlet in a somewhat gentle tone. "My grandmother wrote back."

All of the Blackburn family members were staring directly at her, but she could pay no mind. Cinder had the same tan skin as the girl. The same eyes. The exact same mess of hair. It was like looking at a younger version of herself.

She heard Channary Blackburn's portrait gasp.

"Cinder," Scarlet continued, "You are Selene."

"My baby…" Channary began to murmur softly. "She's alive. My perfect little girl is alive. "

None of it lined up. Selene's story did not match up with the one she knew. Cinder did not have a mother, and certainly not one who cared about her or called her things like "perfect little girl." Cinder was Muggleborn. Selene belonged to one of the oldest, wealthiest, and prominent pureblood families of all time. Cinder was right there, and real. Selene was basically an abstract concept, missing and fabricated from an inane hopefulness for change. Cinder was worth nothing. Selene was worth _everything_.

How could they possibly be the same person?

 _She's not dead._


	8. Of Heirs and Tests

**A/N: Since I started writing this before Winter, I'm not going to be altering the storyline to match what happened within Winter. Therefore, no spoilers. Sorry about the yearlong wait for this update. I hope this chapter wraps everything up nicely for the end, though it's very short.**

* * *

Chapter 7

 _Of Heirs and Tests_

* * *

The golden doors to Gringotts pushed opened, revealing the tiniest glimpse of the outside world. It was cloaked in a blankest of the brightest snow, freshly white and still falling. Though it was not as packed as it would be, due to the fact that most people were at either work or Hogwarts, there were still enough to be a crowd, bustling from store to store, most likely doing early Christmas shopping. Young children also littered the streets, their laughter the loudest sounds in Diagon Alley.

The millions of trails left in the snow were nothing compared to the path the woman had created in her wake. A sheer, white dress covered her body, leaking onto the ground behind her. Shoulders back and chin up, she drew the eyes of every person around to see. They did not know who she was, for there was a veil draped over her face, leaving only a trace of any facial features. She resembled a ghost, on a vacation from stealing precious happiness. Each step was careful, as if still adjusting to the real world.

If they could see her, they would be afraid. Not only because of her identity as one of the most powerful sorcerers of all time, but because she _looked_ like a monster. A monster on the outside like she was on the inside. Straight from a nightmare.

As she walked through the threshold, the last noise she heard before descending completely into the silence of the goblin bank was the tinkling laughter of a three-year-old child, hands dug deep beneath the snow.

Today she was relying on thin hope, from the barest part of her soul that she had succeeded. That maybe she had not been the only person marred by fire. That maybe her newfound ugliness had been worth the pain. In the days following the accident, she had spent her time on life support. Her lungs filled with smoke, her body scarred and blistering, her anger festering. One week had passed and gone. Finally being able to walk again meant that she had an obligation to go to Gringotts.

Even if it was now too difficult to look at her reflection.

The goblin at the desk stared at her, as if trying to decipher her face through the veil. Silently, she offered her wand for identification purposes.

"I am Levana Blackburn." A hush – in what was already silent – settled over the room. A tangy taste was on her tongue as she struggled to form her next words. Her mouth was half singed, and very hard to speak through. "I wish to enter the Blackburn vault."

Without questioning, a goblin led her down deep into the bowels of the bank. The entire ride, thoughts festered in her mind, one half of her desperately trying to inspire hope within the pessimistic and realistic other. Was there really a chance Selene was dead? Or had she done everything in vain?

If she was granted access into the vault, then it would mean Selene was finally gone. Channary's lasting impact on her life would mean nothing, for once in Levana's life. It would mean Levana finally had all the power she needed.

In the beginning, when Selene had first been kidnapped, she thought the girl just being gone would be enough. If the entire world thought Selene was dead, then surely the inheritance would be all hers. But the vault hadn't let her in, that time a few years after Selene's alleged death. Which meant it recognized someone else as the true owner. Goblin magic was vastly complicated, and rarely ever wrong.

By then, it was far too late. Selene was nowhere to be found. But somehow alive. And that was enough for her to continue bringing struggle into Levana's life. Her kidnappers had done a solid job.

She returned year after year. The vault never unlocked.

And then, all of a sudden, Selene was right in front of her. Her features were unmistakable. Selene bore such a striking resemblance to Channary that, at first, fear had gripped Levana's frozen-over heart. It was as if her sister had returned from the dead, with the same brown eyes that haunted her dreams.

The cart drew to a stop. If she had been any less experienced or less focused, perhaps nausea would have bubbled inside of her. Thankfully that was not the case, and in minutes she found herself standing in front of the Blackburn family vault, filled with precious heirlooms. The precious heirlooms that she needed. Desperately.

To open the vault, she had to smooth her hand over the door. It was supposed to unlock at her touch – at the heir's touch.

Anticipation powering her fingers, she gently let her fingertips run over the length of the door. For a moment she had thought maybe she heard the sound of a lock clicking in the distance, but it had been her imagination. The true heir was still alive. And she was left with burns and the memory of fire.

She was the most powerful witch of her time with absolutely nothing to show for it.

* * *

The moon was going to become a round scar on her shoulder blades for the rest of her life. She could not resist picking at the scab during free moments. Just having it on her made her itch, and it drew her attention all the time.

Her dorm room was silent and deserted. Perhaps her fellow Slytherin sixth year girls had left so early to escape her company, but she couldn't bring herself to care. It was all right if they didn't like her, because she had people who did. A huge group of people to call friends of hers. A few classmates couldn't change that fact.

It was Friday. Breakfast was in session, and she was unusually late. This was probably due to the sudden influx of fire-based dreams since the tragedy of the week before. And the fact that she was taking a little more care with her outfits lately. _This_ was probably due to the sudden influx of _kisses_ from Kai since the tragedy of the week before.

Strolling down the stairs, Cinder adjusted and readjusted her tie three times, now distracted by this train of thought. The smile spreading on her lips almost escaped without notice.

Though they hadn't yet had a serious conversation about their relationship and the direction they were heading, it was obvious they both liked each other. Or, at least, enough to enjoy a few make out sessions once they were in private. On _seventeen_ separate occasions. Kai was her favorite escape from the truths life was trying so very hard to throw at her. After a long day of artfully dodging her other friends' persistent prodding, all she wanted to do was be with him.

"Cinder!" a voice distracted her reflections. A still blindfolded Thorne was steadily making his way towards her, broad grin on his face. As it turns out, the covering over his eyes had been cursed, and they were still waiting on a verdict from Erland. Ever since he had used a cane just as Cinder usually did. "You're late today," he said.

She rolled her eyes, trying to shake off the heat rising on her face. Retying her tie, she said, "Shut up, Thorne. What are you still doing here anyways? Breakfast started ages ago." She spotted Jacin lazily trailing behind him.

"We were waiting for you." Her heart warmed slightly at this. "Since we're all on 'The Lunar Hit List' now, we've got to make sure no one gets captured and potentially murdered," he said conversationally. His tone made her want to laugh, even as her stomach turned at the idea of one of her friends being killed. It flipped again when she remembered the events of their last encounter with Lunars and the news she had learned.

Which, though she didn't believe it, was _plenty_ reason to be on "The Lunar Hit List."

Cinder swallowed the indignation rising in her throat. Now was not time to start another argument on her supposed true identity. Every bone in her body was telling her otherwise, and she was planning on trusting her instincts this time. Until she had solid proof, she was not going to believe it.

It was _implausible_. How could _she_ be from one of the most prominent pureblood family in the magical world? Her – Muggle raised and certainly opposed to blood purist theories. Not to mention – she wasn't _evil_ , like the rest of the Blackburns. Surely it was a family trait, considering Levana and Channary and those before them had been diehard Muggle haters. The only trademark Blackburn traits she possessed were the extraordinary magical talent and her Slytherin placement. But even those could be attributed to other things.

There could just be no way she was a Blackburn – there was no way she was a _Lunar_. She was perfectly content with continuing on her existence as Cinder Linh, the disabled Slytherin Muggleborn, and the most out of the ordinary witch at Hogwarts.

As Thorne looped his arm through her own, Cinder forced these thoughts out of her head. There was no use dwelling. Jacin trailed behind them as they exited their murky Common Room and made their way towards the Great Hall, ignoring the looks of disdain they were receiving from the other Slytherins. Not only were they the most integrated with the other houses, which many Slytherins never got the opportunity to do, they were also rather well known amongst the students for their excursion to Blackburn Manor not long ago. The more Lunar inclined of their fellows now tried their hardest to impede them in all their endeavors. Still, this failed to bother Cinder, who had always been disliked by her Housemates. At least now she had companions with similar feelings.

Thorne, who could not see either way, commented, "Wow. You can just _feel_ the hostility."

Jacin snorted derisively. "You can nearly see it, too," he deadpanned.

At this, Cinder laughed. "It's better you can't, Thorne. You're poor ego just wouldn't be able to take it."

One of the things about the placement about the Slytherin Common Room that Cinder rather disliked was its distance from the rest of the places in the school. On the way to the Great Hall, they met with Iko and, to Jacin's delight, Winter. She always lightened his mood, which was nearly always unhappy and negative, considerably.

"Thorne, Jacin, Cousin," Winter said upon greeting with an achingly beautiful grin. Winter had a positive position on Cinder's true identity as Selene. Refusing to listen to Cinder's insistence that she could not possibly be Selene, Winter remained joyful at the prospect of being reunited with her long lost relative.

Biting back a retort at being referred to as such, Cinder gave a tight-lipped smile. Iko, noticing this, grinned somewhat humorlessly. "Still opposed, I see?" she asked.

"I need _solid proof_ before I can believe you," said Cinder, repeating the same sentiment she had on many occasions.

"How is Scarlet's grandmother's letter not 'solid proof?'" Iko said automatically, as this was the immediate response she always had.

Not wanting to participate in this argument for what seemed like the billionth time, Cinder settled for simply saying, "I need something more along the lines of a DNA test." As Iko raised her eyebrows and twirled thoughtfully on a long blue braid, Cinder could not shake the feeling that Iko was hatching a plan.

* * *

That evening in the Room of Requirement, where the crew usually got together to discuss their next plans or just to be together before they were forced to go to their respective Common Rooms, Cinder found that her suspicions were correct. Iko, who had been pacing in the front of the room, stopped moving abruptly to say:

"I think that we should have Erland test Cinder's heritage."

Immediately, Cinder shot upwards, removing herself from Kai's limbs and pushing Scarlet's legs off her lap. "What?" she cried, but her protests were quickly drowned out by the sounds of agreement coming from her friends.

"That's actually a valid idea," said Nainsi.

"Yeah," said Jacin in agreement, "that way we can be sure and face no opposition when we attempt to receive the heirlooms in the Blackburn vault."

As the idea gained speed and positivity from the rest of the group, Cinder began to become panicked. If her blood were to be tested, there would be no mistaking it – there would be no way out of the destiny Selene already had laid out in front of her. She would have even less liberty to her own life. All she wanted to really do was finish her education and then skip out on society – not save the wizarding world from impending doom. Being nearly magical royalty was not a lifestyle that appealed to her. She already had enough labels to worry about: Slytherin. Mudblood. Disabled. And now she had to worry about being a precious Blackburn heir.

No one seemed to notice her discomfort. No one, that is, except for Kai, whose eyes she felt trailing her. She met them with growing desperation. Her heart dropped when he looked away uncomfortably.

"How are we going to get Levana's DNA?" asked Nainsi, adding her usual dose of logic to the conversation. "Especially since – well – we're not exact her favorite people right now."

Thorne grinned. "I don't know about that, she seemed pretty into me the last time we spoke."

"Do you ever stop?" Scarlet rolled her eyes.

There was some laughter, before Winter rose from her seat to speak. She commanded attention with her striking beauty and off personality. "Well, I'm positive that if I am careful I can get a sample of hair."

Cinder swallowed nervously as everyone around her agreed. This was really going to happen. Her identity was at stake and none of her friends seemed to be worried about how she would take it. Again, she felt eyes on her and looked up from her staring contest with her feet to see Kai staring at her.

The others began to wade out of the room with cheerful goodbyes at the prospect of finally getting answers. Cinder traded halfhearted parting words with them, as she remained seated, watching Kai slowly make his way over to her. Tentatively, he sat down next to her and reached for her hand.

Feeling a surge of anger course through her, Cinder shook off his hand and turned away from him. "Don't pretend to care," she said as frostily as she could manage, considering she was talking to the boy who made her heart speed up _every time_ they spoke.

"I do care, Cinder, really," Kai said, as unconfident as she had ever heard him, "but I also care about defeating Levana."

Cinder was quiet for a moment. "I think that's the problem with Gryffindors. All of you are too righteous… That's why you don't understand why I don't want to be Selene. You don't understand what it means to look out for ones own interests."

"You're not even the least bit curious?"

"Of course I am, Kai, but that doesn't mean I'm not afraid." Finally, she turned to look at him, seeing his confused expression that even then she found adorable.

"Why are you afraid?" His hand reached out to touch her cheek.

"Because, Kai!" she found herself exclaiming loudly. "My whole life will change! I don't want the entire the entire fate of the wizarding world in my hands! How is that so difficult for you and everyone to understand?" When he didn't reply, she continued. "That would be too much pressure for anyone, especially for someone who's spent their entire life feeling like dirt for being who she was. And then to also have to worry about my inherent evilness on top of that…"

Kai gaped at her. "Cinder, you're not evil. Even if I thought that _was_ a hereditary trait, it's clearly dormant. And you're not going to have to go at everything alone, you know? You still have the rest of us, and we're all very ready to wage war on Lunars, even if you have reservations. _We'll_ keep you grounded. Stop thinking that being Selene will change everything – Cinder and Selene can be one and the same."

Cinder searched his eyes desperately, looking for a hint of dishonestly, but she could find none. She had no idea how Kai had done it, but he had instilled hope within her. There was truth to his words – no matter what happened, she had friends who would help her through anything. Friends who had broken into the most dangerous place in England for her. And friends, she was sure, would stick with her no matter who was really was.

She launched herself into his arms, trying to let go of her last shred of worry. She had to stop thinking everything was going to change. If she really was Selene, then she had been so her whole life. She had always been both Selene and Cinder. Selene was the beginning of the sentence, but Cinder was the period. Both were needed for her to be complete.

"Thanks," she muttered, the words muffled by his school robes. Kai responded by kissing her forehead, and they walked out of the Room of Requirement intertwined.


	9. Of Blood and Bone

**A/N: Last chapter! 3 I'm so grateful for all the positive feedback I've gotten, even though I did skip out all you guys for a year.**

* * *

Chapter 8

 _Of Blood and Bone_

* * *

"I've got it," said Winter in her lilting voice as she plopped down onto the deep blue couch next to Iko and Nainsi that morning. Iko, who had been yawning at the moment of the news, suddenly grinned hugely and squealed. Naisni spared a tight lipped smile.

"We should go get it tested now," said Iko happily, "I'm too excited to wait. Plus, we're probably going to have to bind Cinder, so it's better to do that when most people are half asleep." Winter giggled as Iko grabbed her hand and they skipped out of the Ravenclaw common room, Nainsi trailing a little ways behind them, distracted by a book.

They were the first of their friends to make it to the Great Hall, and they bounced in their seats. As they chatted happily, slowly the rest of the group filled in with them at the Ravenclaw table – Wolf and Cress arrived first from the Hufflepuff dorm, then Scarlet and Kai came a little while after that, until finally Jacin, Thorne, and Cinder arrived.

"So, last night after curfew," Winter started to fill them in, "Jacin and I snuck into Blackburn Manor and stole a couple of hairs from one of Levana's many hairbrushes." The group around her clapped and cheered with excitement, with the exception of Cinder who simply smiled halfheartedly.

"Any objections?" Iko wondered aloud, her gaze directed solely at Cinder.

Cinder raised a thick brown eyebrow in challenge and grabbed a piece of toast. "Let's go then. I'm tired of the uncertainty." She rose from her seat and looked at the rest of them expectantly. Though Winter felt very surprised at Cinder, she did not need to be told twice. Judging by the looks on her companions' faces, they agreed.

The walk to the Hospital Wing was riddled with tension and worry. They had never discussed their next course of action if Cinder wasn't actually Selene – though there wasn't much reason to doubt the theory. Either way, it would be great to have solid proof, especially if the general public questioned Cinder when they did do an impromptu "press release," for lack of a better phrase.

When the group entered, no unfortunate students were lying on the cleaning white beds, which was great, because privacy was required for what they were about to do.

The short Dr. Erland waddled out of his office after a few moments of waiting. An annoyed expression flitted onto his face after he took in the sight of 10 teenagers taking up all the space in his Infirmary. "This is a health hazard," he said immediately.

"Sir, we would like your help with something," Winter said, in an innocent voice as she did an unnecessary curtsy.

Erland's eyebrows rose with suspicion. "Would you?" he replied with his driest tone.

The group exchanged amused looks. "Could you possibly," started Winter again, "test the relation of two people using samples of hair?"

"I suppose," he drawled. He held out a pale, wrinkly hand. "Where are the samples?"

Winter handed Erland Levana's auburn strand of hair and, after an exclamation of pain came from Cinder, Jacin handed Winter a piece of mousy brown hair. Erland placed them side-by-side on a clean white table and drew his wand from his crisp white coat.

Erland stated the incantation, " _Genus Revelio_ ," and both the strands glowed a bright green. The group exchanged confused looks as Erland gave a satisfied grunt and handed Winter the hairs back.

"What did that mean, sir?" asked Kai.

"The answer lies in the color – bright green for a close relationship, such as mother, father, sibling, aunt, uncle, grandparent, first cousin, et cetera. The green gets duller the farther the relation between the two people is. It stops glowing green once the relation is more than 70 generations back," Erland explained with the slightest irritation showing in his voice. "So, Miss Linh is closely related to whomever you got the other hair from." Erland turned to walk back into his office, missing the looks of satisfaction on the group's face.

They waited until they were outside the Infirmary before they relished in their discovery.

"So it's true," said Jacin. "Cinder is Selene Blackburn, which means we have something the Lunars don't." When he received blank looks, he continued. "The Blackburn vault can't be opened by anyone but the heir. Countless Dark Art secrets lie in there, and Levana has access to none of it."

* * *

The day had passed by in a blur. And she had a reason to feel shocked – she had just learned the truth about her biological family. But that wasn't the worst of the problem. The Lunar war currently being waged in the wizarding world was suddenly her responsibility. Sure, she had her friends to help her through but that didn't mean she couldn't worry.

At dinner, she had eaten mostly silently, deflecting the questioning gaze of Jacin and listening to Throne's pointless babble. They had all agreed to meet at the Room of Requirement again that day to discuss their next course of action, so she left dinner early to go to the bathroom on the sixth floor.

It was empty, except for the waning sunlight that filled the whole room with an orange glow. For the first time that day, Cinder found herself compelled to stare at her own reflection in the mirror. The sunlight made her skin look golden, even if she was pretty washed-out and had deep bags under her eyes. Suddenly the image of her mother at Blackburn Manor popped into her head – Channary's equally brown skin glowing, equally brown eyes shinning, equally brown hair flowing.

Cinder was surprised at how much she resembled that Channary in the light, and she felt inclined to let out her hair like Channary's portrait. If she was Selene, she might as well look the part. While Cinder had never felt more disconnected from her identity, she felt empowered. She might not have been used to being Selene yet, but it didn't matter. She could be both Selene and Cinder all at once.

Selene Blackburn was an icon – a rich, pureblood, heiress who had been lost for over a decade. Selene Blackburn was a ghost. Cinder Linh was an outcast – a poor, Muggleborn who had been biting the dust for over a decade. Cinder Linh was real and alive. Yet they were the same. Selene wasn't lost; she had been just waiting to be discovered. Selene was her blood and bone, no matter how different they were. And Levana was her aunt, no matter their enmity.

The sound of the door opening distracted Cinder from her inner musings. Iko, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter spilled into the room. In the mirror she smiled at her friends.

"We came to find you, since, you know, it's not really safe to be alone right now," said Scarlet as they walked over to were Cinder was standing in front of the mirror.

"You look pretty," Cress said, smiling shyly.

"Thanks." Cinder smiled back. "This is so weird."

"What's so weird?" Winter asked curiously, playing with Cinder's hair.

Cinder chuckled. "I'd always hoped, being adopted, that my biological family would somehow come find me and save me from the Linhs…I never thought that I would be the one to find them – or that my mother wouldn't be alive." Surprised, she wiped at the tear that was blazing a path down her cheek. "Or that I would then have this whole new load of responsibilities that I'd have to see to – like being the key to defeating the Lunars."

"The best things in life are surprises," said Winter sagely.

"And it's okay if you don't like either of your families – I'm your family," Iko added with a big grin, reaching to enclose Cinder in a hug from the back. Iko and Cinder had been best friends before any of this had went down, and Cinder would never forget the happiness that Iko had bestowed upon her even in her unhappiest times.

"Just stop worrying," said Scarlet pacifyingly, "'Cause we've got your back on the whole 'defeating Lunars' thing."

Cinder smiled. "Thanks, guys."

* * *

At their meeting a few minutes later in the Room of Requirement, they all decided to meet up over the winter holidays that began in a week to go to Gringotts and explore the Blackburn vault and access Cinder's wealth. From there they would figure out what to do about Levana and Cinder's new identity.

The week passed by slowly. Life returned to as normal as it could get until they could reunite over the break. Cinder got back into her neglected studies. She talked to Thorne, Jacin, andIko the most of their friend group, mostly because Thorne and Jacin were always around her (and getting back into their aspiring criminal ways as well) and Iko had already been apart of Cinder's daily routine, being in her year. Most disappointing was how little she saw Kai – between his Head Boy duties, Gryffindor placement, and seventh year studies.

She tried not to think of that as she sat down at her usual table in the library on Wednesday, because it was much easier to focus on the Transfiguration work that she had to do that evening. It was still her favorite subject and she was happy for its constant spot in her heart.

After a boring half hour of reading up and making some progress on the three-page essay that she had to write on the subject, she began to practice the spell by turning her theory book into a cat. Cinder smiled at the purring cat before she Transfigured it back into its book form.

"Long time no see," said a familiar voice that nearly made Cinder fall out of her chair.

Kai roared with laughter. The glare Cinder sent his way would have been more potent if she hadn't been so happy to see him. After the librarian scolded Kai for being so loud, he plopped down in the seat right next to her.

"What do you want?" said Cinder with false anger as she tried to quell her growing smile.

With a smirk, he admitted, "I need a tutor in Transfiguration."

Cinder couldn't help it, she laughed. "I forgot about all that. So much has happened since then…"

Kai smiled, before he faltered and looked down at his hands. Cinder couldn't shake the feeling that he was nervous about something. Finally he said, "I also have something I'd like to ask you."

"Go on."

"I know the last time we went on a date didn't exact turn out so great – but would you like to give it another go?"

Her eyes widened. "Yes!" she said loudly before blushing and lowering her volume. "I mean – yes, I would love to."

"Great." Kai grinned his most sparkly, charming grin.

And then he leaned down to kiss her for the first time in what felt like an eternity. And in that one kiss, Cinder couldn't spare any brainpower to worry about the future or the wizarding world or her identity or whether their relationship would work or _anything_. Cinder couldn't worry about how different they really were – because with this kiss, they were one and the same.


End file.
